A Madder Red Sky
by Emmylia
Summary: The summer before fifth year, Draco realizes he doesn't want to join the Dark. Dumbledore offers him sanctuary. Draco accepts the consquences and faces the future. Things get more complicated when his gypsy friend Primula returns after 4 years gone.
1. A Change

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~A Madder Red Sky~

All of the HP Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling. She is their sole creator of all the characters and places and etc within that universe. I am but a humble fanfic authoress who owns the plot and the OCs.

**Hehe I figured I'd done enough Harry/OC centered stories. ^^ Time for one featuring our dear Draco. And of course an OC, when have my stories not had an OC? **

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**Chapter One: A Change **

**DM**

_Tall grass rustled as the two little children rushed through it. They giggled and laughed as they followed one another towards their special place. That place that was just theirs and no one elses. A place under a blazing sky. _

_The smells and sounds of summer mixed with their childish shrieks and shouts. They were children who knew no darkness, no rich or poor, no sadness or pain. They just knew life and summer heat and how they were full of happiness. _

_The grass ended and they seemed to step into another world. A world that was covered in scarlet poppies. There was a single gnarled tree at the edge of the poppy field, and a large swing hung from it. _

_A brilliant burning sky looked over the little field and the lonely tree, where two children climbed and laughed. As the rays of sunset lit the land, they sat in the swing, together as always. _

_"Let's make a promise." _

_"Okay. What sort of promise?" _

_"Umm..." _

_A breeze blew the scent of poppies around them. _

_"Let's promise to always be together!" _

_"Always together?" _

_"Always!" A pause. "Don't you want to be together forever?" _

_"I do! I was just making sure you meant it. People say things they don't mean all the time you know." _

_"Well I mean it. I want to always be with you." _

_"I want to always be with you too." _

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise." _

_

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_

Draco Malfoy opened his eyes and blinked a few times. He saw the endless blue of the summer sky had turned orange, the white clouds were tinted pink, and the tall grass rustled and swayed in a summer wind.

He sat up, rubbing at his eyes and yawning. His father would say some snide comment about how rumpled Draco's robes were and his mother would sigh about the dirt and broken grass in his hair.

He found that he didn't care as much as he once would have. He noticed he stopped caring about a lot of things that concerned his parents a while ago.

"Draco?" Draco groaned, grateful for the tall grass that hid him from sight. "Draco!"

Ignoring the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson, Draco lay back down. Pansy was probably standing at the edge of the grassy field. She hated walking through it, especially since the time they were nine and a large spider had landed right on her pug face. Draco had laughed himself silly as she ran around, shrieking her head off, even after Draco had batted the spider away. Since then she'd refused to take a step in the grass, which suited Draco just fine.

Looking up at the sky, Draco couldn't help but remember, _Rimu wouldn't have cared._

Sighing Draco turned and crawled away from Pansy's calls. Really, thinking about Rimu wasn't that easy when Pansy was around.

Rimu. Only Draco had ever called her that. She'd smiled whenever he had. A big, bright smile.

He found a spot that was cool and far enough away from Pansy that her voice wasn't an annoyance. Flopping back onto his back he opened his eyes once more to watch the sky.

This grass field was his last refuge. Things had changed in the last month. Drastically. The Dark Lord had returned, and he was beginning to work already. Draco was seeing more people coming to the manor than he ever had as a child. People who looked like the sort of riffraff Draco had been warned from associating with.

Then there was that odd look in Lucius's eyes whenever someone mentioned the Dark Lord. A twisted sort of look. Like he was in great awe of him.

Or great fear.

Draco would hear things, even when his parents told him to leave the room, and those things weren't pleasant at all. Torture and secret plots and in every word there was dark glee.

This wasn't what he imagined when his father spoke of the glory days of the Dark Lord's reign.

_What would Rimu think? _

That was the big question wasn't it? He couldn't exactly go and ask her.

She was lost to him. She had been for four years.

Four years ago, when he'd been eleven, he'd seen her one last time on his birthday. He'd played with her in this very grass field, and at the edge of it, under a gnarled old tree, under a blazing red sky, they'd promised each other something.

That very night everything had gone wrong. Horribly wrong. And Draco had never seen Rimu again. He wasn't even sure if she was still alive.

Shaking his head he scowled at the orange sky. _Of c__ourse she's alive. I'd know if she wasn't. _

_Would you really? _asked a snickering voice in his head that sounded oddly like his mother.

_Yes. I would. _Draco argued with the voice, smirking at the sky now. He got back on his hands and knees and crawled through the grass, coming out onto a meadow of poppies. Bright red poppies that were gently swaying with the summer wind. Draco sat up then and stared out over the small valley below them. The old tree held the remains of the homemade swing he had once played on. The tree had grown, and leaned over a bit of the flowers. Draco sat in the middle of the scarlet blossoms, eyeing the fiery ball at the edge of the horizon.

Laughter seemed to echo around him as Draco picked a few of the flowers, tossing them aside carelessly and watching as the sun sunk lower and lower into the sky.

"I knew I would find you here." Draco jumped at the volume of the voice and turned his head to find a black-clad man with black hair and a hooked nose. His black eyes were cool but he wasn't as cruel looking as usual.

"Professor?" Draco asked the man as he got to his feet. "What're you doing here?"

Severus Snape gave Draco a quick glance before motioning over to the broken swing. "Why is that destroyed?"

Draco hunched his shoulders a little, a memory flashing through his mind. A bright curse hitting the swing, burning it. "Father." Draco said simply and turned to stare at the sunset again.

"Your mother complains that you are always out here." Severus murmured, taking another step so that he was side by side with Draco. Draco nodded, not taking his eyes off the orb as it began to disappear. "She says you're always here at sunset."

"It's my favorite time to come out here." Draco replied with a shrug. A hand on his shoulder made him blink as he turned to look up at his favorite professor.

"There is something more, isn't there?" Severus asked quietly, his coal eyes piercing Draco through. He scowled lightly, turning back to the horizon with a small jerk of his head. Severus didn't press, but his hand on Draco's shoulder tightened. "Draco..." The blonde looked up at his mentor. "Your parents say you are restless. Tense." The black eyes flickered over the dark rings under Draco's gray eyes.

"You try being relaxed when you have people like Macnair talking about all the 'good hexes to use on Muggles' and whatnot." Draco snorted, feeling a light blush come onto his cheeks. But with the rays of the dying sun he figured it would go unnoticed. The sun had nearly completely set, there was only a small sliver of it left above the horizon.

Severus made a small sound, whether of agreement or something else Draco couldn't be sure. All he knew was that his hand tightened on Draco's shoulder.

"It bothers you, the thoughts of torture and killing."

Draco's breath caught but he made his eyes stay on the horizon. After struggling for a moment he decided if there was anyone he could trust on this earth, it was the man beside him. "Yes. I don't care if they are just talking about Mudbloods and Muggles. Killing is still killing, and torture is still torture." Draco shuddered as he allowed his revulsion of the entire thing cross onto his face.

"And they all expect me to do it too, someday." Draco added in a much quieter voice. "I don't want to Professor. I might be a mean, arrogant little prick, but I'm not a killer." Draco shook his head now and his body trembled. "I couldn't watch someone die. I have nightmares about Diggory and all I saw was a glimpse of his dead body before they took him away. How could I kill anyone and not go insane? How could I join the Dark? I'd go mad! And Rimu would-"

His voice cut off and he clamped his lips shut. He'd sworn his parents That Day that he would never think about Rimu ever again, that he'd never talk about her, that he'd act as if she never existed.

Severus looked at him curiously as Draco panted slightly, the force of having to keep his words at bay manifesting physically. "Speak freely Draco. I know all of your past. What could you possibly have to hide from me?"

Draco felt himself smile thinly then. He'd know Severus for years, and it was true, the man knew all the worst secrets of the Malfoys, all of Draco's own personal faults and great blunders. Hadn't he just thought to himself that he trusted Snape?

"Rimu would never forgive me, professor. She'd hate me if I ever did anything like that." Draco said quietly.

"You think of that gypsy often, don't you?" Severus asked him and Draco nodded.

"I promised her...that day..." Draco said in a soft whisper. "Right on that swing..."

Severus watched Draco's face as it grew soft and his grey eyes grew distant with memory. "Draco." The boy blinked and looked up at him. "The time for decisions is now. Later will be too late to escape."

Draco felt his face pale at Severus's words. The man couldn't be hinting what Draco thought, right? He just couldn't be. Snape was on the Dark side wasn't he?

"There's no decision though." Draco said cautiously. "I have no other choices."

"Do not be blind Draco." Severus said softly, emphatically, while he gave Draco's shoulder a little shake and a harder squeeze. "There are always choices. Always."

Draco trembled. Severus's eyes were filled with some emotion Draco couldn't name. Whatever it was, it burned and made Draco tremble harder.

"What can I do? I'm only fifteen. All my gold is still my parents. I haven't got anything of my own and nowhere to go." Draco whispered, afraid to speak louder.

Severus's eyes narrowed. "You have to be willing to sacrifice everything Draco. Or would you rather be led, like a lamb to the altar, to the Dark Lord, without putting up a fight?"

The blonde gulped, swallowing hard as he shut his eyes. His head was spinning. Severus sounded like he was giving Draco a choice, a way out, a way to avoid that Dark world that was sprawling open in front of him, ready to devour him and consume every last bit of him that was simply Draco.

It was funny, to him at least, how clearly he could see that destruction at the moment. It was like a large crater, a yawning maw of shadows and dank earth. He could see it clearly, and see the place where his feet stood. The ground beneath him lay cracked and soon enough it would crumble, dragging him down if it could.

He wouldn't give it the chance. He stepped back and blinked the vision away. His eyes found Severus's and he wondered if his eyes were as pleading as his voice.

"Tell me how to get out of this."

Severus smiled then, a rare and proud smile. Draco felt himself tremble even more. He felt like he had just avoided some great disaster as Severus put his hands on his shoulders.

"Go to your room, pack your trunk with only the essentials. Clothes, tolietries, only that which can fit in your trunk."

Draco nodded, grey eyes growing round as he turned towards the manor in the distance. "What should I do when I'm done?" He asked over his shoulder.

"Tonight there is a meeting planned. Your father will be called away at nine o'clock. I will slip your mother a sleeping draught beforehand. The moment your father leaves, I will be waiting at the Apparition point. That may be the only chance we have." Severus caught his arm as Draco started to turn away. "I will only wait ten minutes." He warned and Draco nodded, running into the tall grass that caressed his waist and hips as he hurried through it.

When he reached the manor he was out of breath and sweating. He hurried up the stairs as he heard voices in the lower sitting room and made his way to his own hallway, to his bedroom. He shut and locked the door with a wave of his wand.

Heart pounding he looked around his bedroom, at the high windows and the priceless furniture. All the grandeur and trappings befitting a Malfoy heir. He was going to give this up. All of it. Everything he'd ever known. Because he was afraid- No. He wasn't afraid. He was making a choice.

Even if it did feel like he was being a bit of a coward.

He shook those thoughts away and hurried to his trunk, getting rid of anything useless. He left all his school things in there, then headed to his closet where some of his nicer robes hung. He pulled a few of his favorites down, then turned to his everyday robes and grabbed all of those. He packed some slacks and dress shirts and all his underwear and socks. When he saw how crowded it was getting in his trunk, he shrunk a few things and then continued to collect his bathroom supplies and some other things he knew he'd never get on without.

The charm that chimed on the hour spooked him. He froze for a second as the chimes rang out nine times. A shudder went up his spine then he hurried to stuff his broomstick into his trunk and slammed the lid shut. He shrunk it down to the size of a shoe box then pulled on his cloak and stepped into the hall. It was clear and he hurried to the stairs, rushing down them and stopping when he reached the entrance hall. The sounds of conversation weren't coming from the sitting room. He hurried to the door, pulling it open and running outside.

He ducked into the bushes when he heard feet crunching gravel. From his hiding place he saw his father walking along with Misters Parkinson, Goyle, Crabbe and Nott. Draco felt his mouth go dry when he realized he'd nearly been seen by his father.

"Where'd Snape get to?" Nott asked as they passed.

"Severus said he needed to collect something from his home." Lucius replied smoothly, putting on his mask. Draco waited until he heard the sounds of their footsteps fade. A few seconds later he heard the unmistakeable cracks of Apparition.

He hurried down the walk then, pushing through the iron fence and hurrying towards the clump of lilac bushes that served as the Apparition point. He was too busy looking behind him to notice Severus and ran straight into him. Severus caught him and Draco clung to his shrunken trunk.

"You were nearly late." Severus chided as he pulled Draco close to his side. Draco clung to him, breathing raggedly as Severus spun in place and they disappeared.

When their feet touched ground again Draco lurched a little and stared around him. They were in a dirty alleyway somewhere.

"Hurry." Severus said and dragged him across the street to a row of houses. "Read this quickly." Severus said as he lit his wand and thrust a piece of parchment into Draco's hands. Draco read the words: _The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London. _

The moment he looked up Severus snatched the parchment from him and burned it up. "Think about what you just read." Draco thought on the words and no sooner did he reach the part about Number Twelve that the houses in front of him shifted and moved aside as another house appeared in the square. Draco had only a second to see a number 12 by the door before Severus dragged him forward and knocked on the door.

With the clanking of several locks being undone, the door opened and Draco saw a familiar red headed woman peering out at them. "Oh good you're here." Mrs. Weasley said as she stepped aside and Severus pulled Draco through the door into a dark and gloomy hallway.

"Professor-?" Draco began to ask but Severus hushed him.

"I must leave now. Do whatever Molly tells you to do." Severus said and he turned, leaving through the door and disappearing into the night. Draco stood there for a moment, staring at the door Mrs. Weasley was shutting. Then he blinked and began looking around the hall.

"Follow me Draco." Molly said quietly. "And mind to keep your voice down in the hall."

"Why?" Draco asked as he followed the woman up the stairs.

"I don't want anything to wake up." Molly replied. Draco frowned then simply shrugged to himself and followed the woman up to a room. Molly waved her wand and the lights came on. "Here we go. This'll be your room. Why don't you set your things down and then we can head downstairs. We have a few things to discuss with you."

Draco nodded and set his shrunken trunk at the foot of the bed. He waved his wand and the trunk became normal sized again.

"Forgive me, but it would be best if you refrained from using magic." Molly said then and Draco blinked, about to argue. He stopped himself though and nodded. "If you need anything done, please ask me."

"I had to shrink some of my things to get them to fit." He told her a little dully. As Molly enlarged everything in the trunk to proper size Draco stared out a grimy window at the dark square beyond and frowned. His heart was thumping, he was covered in a chill sweat and the snide voice in his head was telling him he'd just finished doing a very stupid thing.

_It may be stupid, _Draco defended himself against the voice, _but Rimu would tell me it wasn't. She'd be proud. _

That silenced the voice effectively and Draco turned back to Molly who was sorting through his things, waving her wand around and getting everything squared away. His bathroom things were set on a table by the door. "The bathroom is across the hall dear. I'll give you a better tour of the house in the morning."

Draco nodded and Molly finished sorting out his things. Drawers snapped shut and the closet swung closed. Molly stood by the door then and waited, a patient look on her face and in her eyes. "If you'd like to rest a bit-"

"No." Draco cut her off and passed her out into the hall. "Just...just do whatever you have to." He told her. Molly made a motion as if to pat his arm then stopped and nodded. Draco had to wonder at the woman's patience. He'd insulted her very thoroughly over the years, and yet here she was, being polite and even offering to leave him alone for a bit if he needed it. He would never understand Weasleys. Never.

They headed back through that gloomy hallway and then down some stairs into a large cavernous room. Draco gulped when he heard the voices and steeled himself for whatever lay beyond this point just as Molly pushed open the kitchen door and led him inside.

The conversations stopped immediately and he felt himself cringe as he noted all the Weasleys. In the next second he scolded himself. Apparently he was on their side now, so he'd have to be polite.

"Malfoy! What's he doing here!" Ron Weasley bellowed as Draco stood up to his full height and narrowed his eyes. Yes he'd have to be polite...but that didn't mean he'd let them get away with insulting him either.

"Ron, hush." Molly snapped and Ron snapped his lips shut, much to Draco's amusement. Draco took note that aside from most of the Weasley family there was also Granger, Lupin, a few people Draco didn't know and, surprise of all surprises, Sirius Black.

"Allow me to explain." The voice coming from behind him was one that Draco knew well. He looked over his shoulder and saw Albus Dumbledore standing there, his blue eyes twinkling as he stopped to stand beside Draco. "Severus sent me a message earlier telling me that Draco did not wish to follow in his father's foot steps. Severus felt the only safe place for Draco to go was here, seeing as he wished to give Draco a chance."

He paused and Draco realized he wanted him to say somthing. "I..." Draco paused and summoned his courage, using it to make his words steadier. "I've realized that being one of the Dark Lord's followers is a pretty stupid aspiration. I'll admit that much." He frowned. "I'm not going to tell you all that I'm all for your side though." He added then with a small huff. "I still say that your side has it's failings."

There was a round of idignant sounds from the teenagers but Molly shushed them with a look. "Go on." She said to Draco, looking at him appraisingly. Draco ran a hand through his hair, thinking.

"I'm still Draco Malfoy." He said in a quieter tone than before. "I'm still myself. Which means I'll still pick fights with Weasley because I can, and it means I still think magical families should be kept pure." Draco turned his sharp eyes onto those at the table now. "But I started seeing things are different. Maybe that means I'll be different, given time. I don't know. Right now I'm not sure running away was a good idea after all." Draco suppressed a shudder. "Once they realize I'm gone... They'll disown me. I'll be given a little quarter as the rest of you. I'm a blood traitor now. My father will say as much..."

Draco shook his head then. "But my father's not infallible. I started seeing that years ago. Seeing him bumping elbows with people who think killing Muggles is a fun sport is the latest in a long list of things I can't stomach or keep quiet about." Draco scowled then. "Whatever you all might think of me, I'm not capable of being a killer. I couldn't torture anyone, Muggle or not."

Ron snorted so loudly that Draco expected to see bits of his brain on the table. "That's a load of shite! You were all for it last year during the Quidditch Cup!"

"Ronald!" Molly scolded him, eyes wide but Ron had eyes only for Draco who was remembering that incident with a bit of a sneer.

"Tell me Weasley, what would you have done in my place?" Draco asked him evenly. "Think about it." He added quickly when Ron went to retort. "Think about it carefully. All my life I've been raised to hate Muggles and Mudbloods. Nearly every day I've heard some comment or other about how Muggles are dirt and Mudbloods are just as bad. I've been taught that anyone who willingly associates with Muggles and Mudbloods are worthless and disgusting and ruining our world. I've heard stories about what happens to blood traitors. I've known for ages what kinds of curses and hexes have been used to torture people. My father never hesitated to tell me that if I ever dishonored the Malfoy name in any way I could be facing those same consequences."

Draco let his eyes frost over as he met Ron's eyes once more. "So tell me Weasley, what would you have done? If you knew every horrible thing your own father would do to you, if he saw you helping a Mudblood?"

There was a sort of echoing silence in the kitchen then and Draco felt his chest rising and falling quickly. His voice hadn't risen but his tone had carried all the emotion he could muster. He wasn't one for yelling in anger. Such displays were reserved for private...and for meetings with Potter.

"He wouldn't- He's your- You're his son." Ron huffed out at last, his ears bright red. Draco scoffed then.

"Whether I'm his son or not, if I did anything he considered an offense to the Malfoy name, he wouldn't hesitate to make me regret it." Draco lowered his eyes then. "He's already done it once."

"He what?" Molly's indignant gasp made Draco look at her. She looked horrified and her eyes swiftly flew over him. "He hurt you?" She asked.

"Not me." Draco said, a tremble coming to his voice. "But my friend." Draco swallowed then, steadying himself against the memories of That Day. "He hurt her because of me."

Another round of silence came over everyone then before Draco shook his head. "I've been thinking hard, ever since Potter came back from the maze. Then what Dumbledore told us." Draco looked up at the headmaster who gave an encouraging nod. "I've been forcing myself to really look and see what was going on around me. I saw things I didn't like. I heard things that made me sick. I knew I'd be forced to go through it all though. I didn't think I had any way out until Professor Snape talked to me today."

Draco sighed. "So I'll be polite, and not say anything about Mudbloods and not insult you Weasleys. We're the same now. I never thought I'd see the day." Draco smirked then, crossing his arms and closing his eyes. "I never thought I'd rather be a blood traitor than follow my father's foot steps. Then again, being a Malfoy stopped being so glamours four years ago..."

He finished with a shrug. He'd said his piece. His thoughts warred with his doubts and his emotions swirled. But he was being honest with them all. Every word he'd spoken was true.

"Tell me one thing." Draco looked up and saw it was Sirius Black speaking. "What're you hoping to find here?"

Draco thought about that one for a second. "Choices." He said at last. "The chance to make my own choices. Until I turned eleven, I was happy enough to do whatever my parents told me. Then... That Day happened..." Draco bit his lip. "My father made all the big choices until now. He decided who I would associate with, who I would sneer at, where I would walk, how I would speak. He's been pulling the strings for years now. I couldn't do anything about it when I was younger. I couldn't even show resentment because that would get me into trouble."

"But right now everything's changing." Draco frowned. "I don't like what he's trying to make me into. I should get the chance to make me into someone I can be happy with, shouldn't I?"

Sirius Black chuckled then. "Yes you should. Keep that in mind eh?" And he pulled out the chair beside him.

Dumbledore let out a pleased sort of sigh. "Remember," he said to the teenagers who were still eyeing Draco warily, "everyone under this roof is on the same side. We are allies. We have a common enemy in Voldemort, we do not need to make more amongst ourselves. The past is in the past. We must move forward and unite, or else be lost to the Dark forces working against us. Everyone in this kitchen is equal to one another." Dumbledore gave them all a stern look. "Do you all agree?"

"Yes." Draco said along with the others. Molly gave them all hard looks. Then satisfied she turned and walked over to stir whatever she was cooking in the fireplace.

"Very good. Now I must take my leave." Dumbledore nodded to Draco. "Oh, Remus, I need to have a word with you." Dumbledore said and Lupin got up from his seat to follow the man out of the kitchen.

"Harry's not gonna like this." Draco heard Ron mutter.

"Where is Potter?" He asked then.

"Still stuck with his God awful relatives." Sirius replied with a scowl.

"I would expect him to be here." Draco murmured.

"Yeah well Dumbledore figures he's safe there for now." Sirius said and from the bitterness in his voice, Draco could tell Sirius was miffed with the headmaster. He smiled just a little.

He spent dinner quietly, eating Molly's cooking and figuring it wasn't as bad as he'd imagined. He listened to the conversations the people around him had and forced himself to reserve his panic and doubts for the next morning. Once he'd eaten as much as he could, he quietly excused himself and went up to the bedroom Molly had assigned him.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long, long time.

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**_End first chappy. Arigato for reading! _**


	2. Return

******************~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

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**Chapter Two: Return**

**DM**

Draco sighed and rubbed at his forehead as Mrs. Black's screams roused him from his nap. He'd been having the oddest dream. He'd dreamt that he'd asked a dragon for it's eye. He couldn't remember why he was asking the dragon for it's eye but the dragon had been in the process of handing it over to him when the portrait's screams woke him up.

Grumbling, because he hadn't been able to recall his dream, Draco paused at his mirror and made sure he looked presentable. He cast a freshening charm on himself -he didn't care what Weasley's mum said, he was going to do magic as much as he liked when she wasn't around- brushed his hair so that it fell just so and then charmed the wrinkles out of his clothes. Once that was done he headed out of his room, towards the kitchen. He heard the murmur of voices from behind the kitchen door and paused for a moment.

He'd been at Grimmauld Place for four whole days. Four days without a word from Severus and four days of feeling like an unwanted cat. He stood there, listening to the voices as they chattered happily. Draco wasn't one to usually feel lonesome, but seeing the way Granger, Black, Lupin and the Weasleys interacted in the past four days had him missing Blaise and Rimu more than he ever had. Hell, he even missed his elf Itol, if only because the little creature had never let him alone and always tended to him well.

Bowing his head, Draco wondered what the people behind the door thought of him. He shouldn't have cared, he didn't really, it was more the need for that knowledge than the actual want of it. Something like knowing thy enemy. He wanted to know where he stood in this unfamiliar place, with these people he'd disliked since he was eleven.

"If you keep standing there, someone is bound to hit you in the face with the door."

Draco jumped, turning around to stare at his favorite professor. He felt his cheeks darken and thanked the gloomy darkness for hiding it as he looked away. "Professor...I was just..."

The hand that clamped onto his shoulder made him look up into Severus's onyx gaze.

"I understand. It is a lonely place, being outside the circle." Severus said then with a slight nod towards the laughter they could hear in the kitchen now. Draco knew it was only because he trusted Severus so much that he agreed with a quick nod. "Come Draco. Tonight, I will join you for dinner." Severus said then making Draco gape up at him with mingled disbelief and relief.

They entered the kitchen to find a tense sort of silence had overtaken the laughter of a moment before. Upon their arrival eveyone looked up. Draco kept his face as neutral as possible while Severus led him over to an empty space at the end of the table, across from Potter and Black. Draco saw Potter giving him a strange look but ignored it as Severus made him sit down and then drew himself a chair.

"There you are Severus. I was wondering where you and Draco had gotten to." Molly Weasley said then.

"I had fallen asleep." Draco replied, taking a plate of stew that someone handed him and giving it to Severus. He accepted the next plate then settled into his seat.

There was more silence but Draco didn't mind it now. Severus's presence was welcome and relaxing. He knew not many people, not even some of his fellow Slytherins would find Severus's company relaxing. But then again not many people had known the man like Draco did.

His fork scraped against his plate then as a hollow sort of feeling entered his chest.

"Draco?" Severus asked, catching the boy's expression.

"What will happen to me professor?" Draco asked then, bowing his head to keep the others from seeing the panic rising in his eyes. "When I return to school? With the Slytherins."

"Oh dear, I hadn't thought of that." Molly Weasley said then. Draco didn't lift his head. He knew his worries were etched onto his face at the moment. He didn't want these Gryffindors to see him like that. Once he felt he could look cool and calm he raised his eyes to look at Severus who was staring meditatively at his goblet.

"All we can do is wait and see." He said at last. "I admit, I had not giving your position in Slytherin much thought." Severus turned to Draco fully then. "I will speak to the headmaster."

Draco nodded before a frown appeared on his face. "Will I even be able to go to school sir?" He asked sourly. "Seeing as no doubt my parents have-"

"Draco." Draco paused, only because the tone Severus used was soft and sharp. He blinked up at the man who was not looking at him. Severus seemed to find the Black family crest on his goblet fascinating as he said, "Lucius and Narcissa did not realize you were missing until this morning."

The words hit Draco harder than he wanted to admit. He bowed his head again, so that his fringe would cover his eyes. A twisted sort of smile came upon his face in the next moment.

"I knew it would take them a while to discover I had gone, but four days? I had thought it would only be two at most." He said with a cold chuckle.

"They only just realized he wasn't home?" Molly asked in a hushed voice. The redhead just couldn't believe it. "How could four days go by without them noticing he was gone!"

"I spent most of my days outdoors or over at the Zabini Chateau." Draco replied in a quiet tone. The twisted smile still lingered on his lips. "We often lost track of each other."

"That's still no excuse!" Molly burst out. Draco was so startled by the outrage in her words that he looked up at her, lips parted slightly. Molly looked completely outraged. She was turning red in the face and looked like she'd burst into flames at any moment.

"Itol seems to have kept your secret." Severus said then making Draco blink in surprise.

"Itol?" Draco asked, a bemused smirk on his face then.

Severus gave a nod. "Itol had been reporting that you were either outdoors or at the Zabinis whenever Narcissa or Lucius questioned him. He was punished rather severely when Lucius called on Lady Zabini and discovered Draco was not with them, as Itol had said."

Draco took a second to process the words before chuckling in wonder. "I knew I liked that elf for a reason. What did Father do to him?"

"Beat him then gave him clothes and threw him out." Severus said dispassionately. A horrified gasp brought their attention to Granger who looked like she might be sick. Draco blinked, remembering something about Granger taking on house-elves as a cause. "I found him and decided to take him to my home for the time being."

Draco nodded. He felt both amazed and confused. He'd never exactly been particularly pleasant to Itol. He'd been decent to the elf he supposed. Never hitting him, never really yelling at him. Offering some half-encouragements from time to time. Draco hadn't treated Itol as badly as he had some of the other house-elves at Malfoy Manor. If only for the sole reason that Itol had always helped him escape his rooms at night so that he could visit the gypsies more. Visit Rimu more. Rimu had liked Itol too...

"I see."

"He wishes to come see you." Severus added then. "He said to tell you he is sorry for not being able to protect you more. He hopes you would be willing to be his master again. 'Tell Master Draco Itol will come if called.' He said."

Draco smirked and gave a nod as he took a forkful of stew. "Itol." He called clearly and just loud enough. A second passed then there was a crack and a elf with a long nose and big blue eyes appeared wearing a ragged t-shirt. He had a healing angry red line across his forehead and a few bandages around his long fingers and feet. He looked confused for a moment until he spotted Draco who was staring at him with something like a half-smile.

"Master Draco! Itol is very glad he be seeing you!" Itol squeaked while bowing. Draco studied him for a second then nodded.

"I'm glad to see you survived." He replied to the elf. "Find yourself something more suitable to wear. That shirt is hideous."

Itol looked up with a big grin on his face before he bowed once more and disappeared to fulfill the order.

"He is your favorite, isn't he?" Severus asked. Draco shrugged.

"He's the most competent." Draco replied. "And he knew Rimu." He added quietly. Severus smirked again.

"That explains your attachment to him then." Severus rose from his seat then. "I will visit again. I wish to bring you news then."

Draco nodded, watching as the black-clad man left the kitchen without even a word of farewell. Draco looked down at his plate for a second.

Itol popped back into the kitchen the next moment, wearing a fresh towel. He bowed when Draco looked at him. "Is Master Draco wishing for anything?"

"Not at the moment Itol. You may explore the house. There is also another elf here, called Kreacher. Ignore him and do not remain in his presence if you find each other."

"Yes Master Draco." Itol said with yet another bow. He was about to make himself scarce when he paused and stared at Draco uncertainly.

"What is it?" Draco asked the elf.

"Itol tried his best Master Draco." The elf said with a quiver in his words. "Itol tried, but Master Lucius found out." Itol looked up with tear-filled eyes. "Itol couldn't do what Miss Primula asked of Itol! Itol is sorry!"

"Primula...?" Draco looked at the elf as the creature bit into one of his bandaged fingers. "What do you mean Itol?"

The elf gave a jerk, his big eyes leaking tears. "Miss Primula told Itol to care for Master Draco. 'He's hopeless and needs someone to take care of him' she says to Itol. 'Be a good elf and take care of him' she tells Itol. Itol did his best..." The elf began beating his head then. Draco watched him in shock before he got up from his seat.

"Stop it Itol."

The elf stopped midway through another hit. He looked up at his young master to find the blonde's eyes were hidden by his hair.

"You did alright."

Itol stared at his master then gave him a big, watery smile before dropping into a bow so low his nose touched the ground. "Itol will do better this time. Itol will take good care of Master Draco, like Miss Primula wanted. Master Draco is a good boy. Itol is happy to be with Master Draco again."

Draco gave a curt nod. "Go away now." Draco murmured.

"Yes sir." Itol said as he Disapparated to some random part of the house. Draco stood staring at the place he'd stood then let out a heavy sigh.

"That was so cruel." Granger's voice scolded from behind him. "That house-elf obviously likes you! He lied for you and took a beating for you and you can't even say anything nice to him!"

"But I did say something nice to him." Draco replied with real confusion in his tone. He met Granger's eyes then and gave her his best arrogant smirk. "If I were really cruel, I would have left him waiting for me to call for him." Shaking his head, Draco retook his seat. "Don't talk about things you don't understand Granger. It makes you look stupid."

"Hey!" Ron Weasley growled but Draco just glared at him.

"I told you before, I haven't changed that much. And just because you growl at me doesn't mean I'll stop speaking my mind Weasley." Draco told Ron before returning to his stew. "Granger, I'm asking you not to bother Itol about him being technically free. My father may have given him clothes but I'm his only master now."

"But that's just wrong! To take away his freedom!" Granger retorted. Draco sighed. He forgot he wasn't dealing with Slytherins for a second.

"What if I told you Itol is important to me?" Draco asked then, looking away from Granger as he spoke. A snort was his reply.

"I just saw how you treated him Malfoy. Do you really think-?"

"He's connected to her." Draco cut Granger off before the girl could fly into the tirade he heard building up in her tone.

"Connected to her?" Granger replied. Draco looked over at her, finding her sharp brown eyes cutting into him. He stared back and nodded slowly. "What does that mean?"

"It means that you shouldn't worry about Itol." The blonde replied with a shrug of his shoulder. "It means that I'm not going to treat him like complete dirt."

"But who is her?" Granger pressed.

The Slytherin looked at Granger then up at the ceiling of the room. "There aren't enough words for me to describe her, Granger. Suffice it to say, she was important too." He left it at that then, figuring Granger wouldn't bother Itol now. He knew what she was like. She'd begin to think about Itol and about convincing the elf to take his freedom, but then the mystery of the girl would intrude and she'd be distracted.

He also found it satisfying on a more childish level that he knew something she did not. She might continue to best him in school, but at least he had this one morsel of information that she did not. It would drive her mad.

Draco settled back into his chair as Mrs. Weasley brought out the dessert and let himself have a small chuckle at that thought.

* * *

_There's a place where I know I'll always find you._

_Tall, sweet grass and a field of scarlet flowers._

_That old swing that's big enough for two._

_Is it all still there, under that red sky?_

Primula looked up from the words in her journal. She blinked as she came out of the trance-like she'd been in. Shaking her head she sat up and read the words she'd written.

She smiled sadly as the memories flooded her mind's eye then. She could see it. The tall grass waving in a breeze. The scarlet poppies that littered the ground. The gnarled old tree and the swing. It was always there, ready to be brought up.

She could remember those days. Those happy days when she and a blonde boy would play together. Whether in the wild countryside or in the clearing that her caravan had made into a village of colorful tents.

Together, that was never the issue. Where one would go, the other would follow. Primula smiled as she remembered the day they met. She'd been collecting poppies for her mother. He'd come running out of the grass with a house-elf. They'd startled each other and stared at one another.

Then he'd asked what she was doing. She'd told him she was collecting flowers. She'd asked him where he'd come from. He'd pointed to the glittering white manor in the distance. He'd asked her name. She'd told him and asked for his. He'd replied and looked uncomfortable. She'd offered him a bit of candy she had in her pocket. They'd spent the afternoon together, talking. And when night had fallen they'd parted ways, walking through the grass together to get back home.

It had become their thing in the following days and weeks and months and years. To meet in the poppy field, to run through the countryside. He'd been introduced to her way of life, and on the special days when his parents weren't around, he'd taken her into his.

But they'd always be happiest when they were together, in the poppy field, in the tall grass, by the creek, on the hill overlooking both their homes. No matter what they'd done, it had always been together and with smiles.

And then That Day had occurred. That Day had broken their happiness. Primula had been hurried away from those lands and from her best friend.

Now here she lay, under a different gnarled tree, in a different country. Brazil had been good to them for the past five months but it was time to move on. The caravan didn't like staying anywhere for too long. The Wiltshire Incident had given all of them the same feeling: staying too long in one place would certainly spell disaster.

Primula knew that she'd be called on to make the decision of where to move to next. She'd been choosing for the caravan ever since she'd turned thirteen years old.

She'd become the youngest Priestess of the caravan at that age and had been looked up to even by the oldest member since then. She hadn't thought she was ready to become the Priestess, but then again she hadn't thought she was ready for a lot of things in her life and they'd still happened. She'd gotten the hang of it in the last year or so. Ever since her brother, Aviyam, had left her in charge of the caravan.

Aviyam was the Prince of their caravan, as had been their father and grandfather and great-grandfather before him. He'd been leading them ever since That Day in Wiltshire.

"Priestess!" Came the call from behind her. Sighing, with a smile, Primula rose to her feet, dusting off her skirt and brushing a ladybug off her stomach. She took a moment to admire the pink and white bedlah-style outfit she wore. It was her signature look, and she felt more comfortable in it, revealing though it was at times, than in the witch's robes or the Muggle clothing she had in her trunk, for the times when traveling into the wider world was necessary. "Priestess!"

"I'm over here." She called back, turning and sticking her little journal into her pocket. "What is it Raiman?"

Raiman was her brother's right hand man, and the one who had been charged with keeping an eye on her whenever she wandered off on her own.

"Priestess, this just arrived from Aviyam." Raiman said, holding out a scroll of parchment. Primula took it quickly. She hadn't heard much from her older brother since he'd left the summer before on some important business. Whenever he had managed to write a letter, it had been to simply tell her he was fine and to inquire about her.

_Sister,_

_My suspicions have been confirmed. _

_Tell everyone to pack up a__nd tell them to make camp on the Isle of Wight, in the King Caravan settlement. _

_I will explain everything when you arrive. _

_Avi_

Primula gasped as she stared at the words; Isle of Wight. It had been years since they'd been there. Aviyam had made sure to avoid England or any mention of that kingdom for years. And now they were returning?

It was too odd. But orders were orders. Primula turned to Raiman who was standing by quietly, waiting for his instructions.

"Tell the caravan to prepare. We'll be heading to the King Caravan settlement." Primula told him. Raiman blinked in surprise.

"The one on the Isle of Wight?" he asked, the confusion leaking into his question. Primula nodded.

"My brother has ordered it. Hurry now." She told him even as she began to run across the hot earth towards the colorful tents in the distance.

She didn't know why Aviyam wanted them to go to the settlement of all places. Aviyam hated the Prince of the King Caravan, an arrogant man named Kahjit. She didn't much like him either to be honest. He got on her nerves with all his prideful boasting.

"Priestess, where are you going?" A group of younger girls had stopped her run and she smiled.

"We'll be leaving. Start spreading the word. Time to pack up."

The girls gasped and smiles lit their faces as they nodded and hurried away to tell everyone else.

There was one thought in the forefront of Primula's mind as she entered her tent and began to check that she had everything she needed.

_England...where Draco is. _

Yes, where Draco was. Primula paused and let that fact wash over her. He would be there. She knew he was. The man they'd met in the Mediterranean had told them so. That Lupin person.

Primula smiled. They were returning. They would be so close.

But would Aviyam let her near him? Would Draco even remember her?

Would there still be a place full of poppies and tall grass waiting for her?

Grabbing a satchel she took one more look around. _Well, there's only one way to find out._ She told herself as she stepped out and dismantled her tent with a few quick waves of her wand. Her tent folded itself up and shrank down. She picked it up and placed it in the satchel.

"Little niece!" Primula turned around to find her Aunt Zinnia walking over to her. "Little niece, the camp's buzzing. Are we really leaving?"

"Yes Aunt." Primula replied. "Aviyam wrote to me. He says we are to head to the King Caravan."

Zinna hummed thoughtfully then grimaced. "Ugh, why to that awful Khajit's place?"

Primula shrugged and her aunt sighed heavily. Primula giggled. Her aunt was as childish as Primula herself was, which was understandable, seeing as her aunt was only six years older than her.

"Well I'll go and get our Portkey set up." Zinnia said and she moved on, pausing to help anyone who needed it. Primula went off to do the same.

* * *

"Master Draco. It is morning. Time to awaken Master Draco."

Draco groaned. "No it's not." He argued sleepily, turning over in his bed. He winced as a brightness pierced his eyes then.

"Master Draco, it is morning! Up now Master Draco! The Wheezy lady says to Itol that if Master Draco doesn't get up, she be making Master Draco wash toilets like a Muggle!"

The indignation and shock in Itol's voice was enough to make Draco laugh. He did so and then sat up in bed. His small bedroom window let in a long shaft of early morning sunshine. Yawning Draco turned and found Itol was pouring a cup of chai tea into a pretty white cup with gold along the rim and a pattern of blue flowers. The elf had also prepared eggs, bacon, toast, a small bowl of fresh fruits and a big cinnamon roll. There was a picture of juice as well.

"Itol is making Master Draco a proper breakfast." Itol said as he handed the boy the cup of chai tea and waved his fingers at Draco's face, getting his mouth and face cleaned in an instant. Draco took a sip of his steaming cup and sighed. Turning to look at the elf, he allowed himself a smile.

"What would I have done if you hadn't shown up Itol?" he asked the elf. Itol half-turned to face him with a beaming grin.

"Master Draco is too kind to Itol!" The elf said in a quivering tone while bowing. "Master Draco has accepted Itol to return to him, even though Itol has disgraced himself."

"You said last night that what you did, you did because of Primula." Draco said then. Itol nodded. "When did she tell you that exactly?"

Itol looked sheepish then. "On the night Miss Primula was taken away. Itol saw Master Draco worrying, so Itol went to check on Miss Primula. He found Miss Primula being tended to by Healers. When she saw Itol, Miss Primula spoke to Itol. 'He's hopeless and needs someone to take care of him. Be a good elf and take care of him. He doesn't like being alone, so don't leave him alone.' That is what Miss Primula says to Itol. Then she orders Itol to stay with Master Draco and so Itol has. Itol has tried his best, because Miss Primula was a good girl, so Itol wants to fulfill his promise to her."

"I'm sure...Rimu would be happy with what you've done for me so far." Draco told the elf after a long silence. "Itol, that Granger girl is stupid and believes house-elves wish to be set free. She believes you cannot think for yourself and take your freedom if you wished."

The elf let out a little scoff.

"I agree completely Itol. Just be wary of her, and tell her whatever you want to tell her when she begins to hound you about it." Draco chuckled. "Just don't call her a Mudblood. You are not to use that word anymore, understood?"

"Yes Master Draco!" Itol squeaked happily. "Itol will leave Master Draco to his breakfast. Itol has promised to banish a ghoul in a basement room. Oh! The Wheezy lady says Master Draco is to go to the drawing room."

Draco nodded and the elf vanished. He got up and ate his breakfast, feeling much more cheerful than he had since he left Malfoy Manor. With Itol around, it was bound to get easier. Especially after what Itol had just told him about Primula.

"Taking care of me even now, huh Rimu?" He asked his wall as he finished his meal. Turning to his closet Draco saw Itol had wrangled some more common clothes. A pair of dark Muggle jeans and a polo shirt. He smirked as he dressed and then headed out to help with the cleaning of Grimmauld Place.

* * *

Primula sighed as she finished the head count. All fifty-eight members of their caravan were present and accounted for.

"I think that's everyone little niece." Zinnia said then as they were greeted by the members of the King Caravan. Primula nodded.

"Yes, everyone is here aunt."

Primula looked around the settlement then. The King Caravan was one of three caravans they were friendly with. The others were the Soltare and Helio Caravans. This place on the Isle of Wight was far from the Muggles who traveled and lived there. It was hidden by enchantments and often used as a resting place for the caravans. Kahjit King was the Prince of the King Caravan. He'd created this settlement when his wife was pregnant and he'd been too worried to move her during the final months. Which was why Primula couldn't hate the arrogant jerk too much. He was a good leader and a kind father.

"Priestess of the Iamar." The words made Primula turn to find Kahjit, his wife Alana, and her brother Aviyam standing behind her. The one speaking was Alana. "It is an honor to meet with you once more."

Primula nodded, giving a little bow to the Princess of the Caravan. "It's a pleasure to meet you again Alana."

Kahjit let out a chuckle. "Ah to think the little runt has grown into a Priestess." He said as he eyed Primula with a father's calculating stare. She rolled her eyes, making Alana and Aviyam laugh. "Well you Iamar have always done things oddly."

"Don't start now Kahjit." Alana chided her husband who sighed but stopped surprisingly enough. Zinnia and Primula exchanged looks then grinned as Aviyam walked forward to greet them with a hug each. Primula clung to her older brother, breathing in the smell of leather and earth that she recalled from her memories. She had missed him the whole year he was gone. Aviyam chuckled and ruffled her hair, letting her cling to him as they began to walk to Kahjit's bright green tent.

"So why're we here little nephew?" Zinnia asked her nineteen-year old nephew. Aviyam sighed while patting Primula's hair.

"It appears we're going to be dragged into the brewing war." Aviyam replied as they entered the tent and were greeted by Kahjit's ten children.

"Primula!" A set of triplet girls cried out. They were Primula's age and Primula smiled as they hugged.

"Kana. Hana. Anna." Primula replied with a giggle at how their names sounded together. The triplets giggled as well, pulling Primula towards their pile of poufs and cushions.

"What do you mean by that little nephew?" Zinnia asked once Alana had served them all something to drink and they'd all settled into comfortable seats.

Aviyam sighed as he stared at his iced drink. "Last year, I left because I had begun hearing strange rumors. Rumors about the Dark One." A shiver ran around them all then. Primula frowned. She didn't like her brother's tone. "I returned to Europe to speak to some old contacts of mine. Then I went off in search of clues. I discovered the Dark One was growing stronger. Someone was helping him return. This summer they succeeded. The Dark One has returned to England."

"What has that got to do with us though?" One of Kahjit's older sons asked.

Aviyam frowned at him. "Everything. Because I have contacted the Wise One, and he has informed me of what he suspects the Dark One is up to."

"And that would be?" Zinnia prompted impatiently. Aviyam grinned at his aunt for a moment then sighed more heavily than before.

"The Dark One is seeking something, a weapon the rumors say." Aviyam looked over at Primula who was staring at him with a bit of apprehension. "They also say he is in contact with the Prince of the Selino Caravan."

There was a general babble of outrage at that. The Selino Caravan was the largest caravan in Europe and also the ones who had no qualms about siding with Dark wizards to obtain riches and powers they would not otherwise have.

"What could Prince Aja have to tell the Dark One though?" Kana asked then in a fearful whisper.

"The Eyes." Primula said then, her clear tone breaking the spell that Aviyam had created with his hushed tone. She fixed her gaze on her brother. "It's that, isn't it? What else would any Prince have to offer the Dark One, aside from the Eyes?"

Aviyam gave a short nod. "You're right. You're exactly right."

Another collective shiver passed through their group then. Primula stared at her brother however, her eyes dull. She then bowed her head as everyone began to murmur to each other. Her hands clenched into fists in her lap.

"That's why I wanted our caravan to return to England little sister." Aviyam said then. "I have sent messages to the Soltare and the Helio. They'll be joining us within the next two days. Once they arrive, we'll hold a council and decide what ought to be done about Aja and the Selino."

Primula nodded then rose from her seat. "If that's all for now, I would like to go set up our home."

Aviyam gave a nod and Primula left with a small wave to her friends. She sighed as she felt her aunt following her through the settlement, to less crowded area. Zinnia didn't say anything as Primula fixed the tent up, resized it and then made the tent set itself up.

"He didn't tell them yet." Primula said once the tent was up and she'd entered it along with Zinnia.

"Avi must have had a good reason." Zinnia replied as she began bustling around the tent, picking up some things that had fallen over during the resizing process.

Primula sighed, leaning against the table. "So the Dark One has returned." She said and her hands clenched into fists again. "Meaning his Death Eaters have returned as well."

"Yes." Zinnia paused in the middle of folding a set of robes. "Primula." Zinnia stared at her niece with a hard glint in her brown eyes. "Primula, Avi and I will take revenge on the Death Eater who stole away our family. Blood for blood. We will annihilate him."

Primula nodded. "For Papa, Mama, and everyone else he took from us."

Zinnia nodded and walked over to pull Primula into a hug. "Do not worry little niece. We'll spare the little dragon." Zinnia pulled back then. "Speaking of which, now that we're here...are you going to try and find him?"

Primula grinned then. "I was thinking about it. It's been four very long years without him at my side. I feel excited and nervous. Do you think he remembers me?"

"If he's forgotten you already, I'm going to whack him with a broomstick." Zinnia proclaimed.

"Eh! Aunt, you can't do that!"

Zinnia laughed and Primula joined in after a moment. They walked out to stand in front of their tent. The sun was just beginning to set, so everything was beautifull ablaze in orange, red and gold light. Primula turned so that she was facing the mainland.

"I'm sure he's out there, waiting for you Primula." Zinnia asked as she watched the fifteen-year-old. "He's most surely waiting for you to return. I wouldn't doubt it for a minute."

Nodding, Primula watched the sun sink beyond the horizon. "Then, I'll do my best to meet with him again." Primula said as she shut her eyes and concentrated on the breeze playing with her hair and clothes.

_Hopefully...you'll still be there. Under that red sky. _

* * *

_****__End chappy! I could not figure out how to write this. Then I watched Clannad and well it just came out after that. I'm such a sentimental dork. ^^ Ja ne! _


	3. So Close and So Far

******************~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

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* * *

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**Chapter Three: So Close and So Far**

**DM**

The drawing room had taken three days to decontaminate. From there they'd moved onto the dining room. Draco had spent the better part of the morning helping to rid the room of the bugs that had made the room their habitat. He'd nearly laughed when Weasley ran from the room when they found the spiders. He'd have to remember that for future use.

Right at the moment they were taking a break. Draco had repaired an old chair with a flick of his wand and sat facing the still grimy windows. Black was in the room with him and the other teens. Draco sat facing away from them all though, ignoring how the loneliness began to creep up on him. He wished he could contact Blaise, but everyone thought it unwise to reveal he was well until he was safely back in Hogwarts.

"Master Draco." Itol said, appearing from nowhere silently. Draco turned to him and accepted the cup that the elf held out to him. "Darjeeling today." Itol said as Draco took a sip.

"It's good." Draco replied and the elf gave a little bow. Draco had to smirk a bit when he saw Itol turn to the windows and glare at them with a shrewd eye.

"Itol will clean these windows." Itol said then while pulling at the moulded curtains.

"Wait Itol!" Granger's voice shouted on cue, halting Itol from going through with his decision. "We're perfectly capable of cleaning this room." Granger's voice sharpened. "Besides you already cleaned out all the bathrooms in the house." Draco had to hide a snicker then. Itol, taking Mrs. Weasley's threats to heart, had taken it upon himself to wash every bathroom until it sparkled, so as to spare his master.

Granger's eyes seemed to be boring into Draco's head while Itol hovered between indecision. Draco sighed, taking another sip of his tea. "Spit it out Granger." Draco called over his shoulder then. Sure enough Granger was glaring at him with all her might. "If you have something to say then say it. Black won't stop you and Mrs. Weasley is off making lunch." A sudden memory flitted through his mind and he let out a single chuckle. "Give me your best shot Granger."

Itol laughed then, breaking the growing tension. "Master Draco reminded me of Miss Primula." Itol replied once he'd calmed himself. Draco smirked.

"Who is that, by the way?" The kind tone in Granger's voice let Draco know it wasn't him being addressed.

Itol turned to his young master who was staring at the grimy windows pensively. "Go on and tell her what you like Itol." Draco murmured. "If you don't answer her, she might just try to give you clothes."

"Oh no! No, no, no! Please miss, no disrespect miss, but Itol is happy to serve Master Draco! Itol is not wanting clothes!" The little elf squeaked while waving his arms around and shaking his head feverishly. It was beyond comical and Draco hid his grin behind his teacup. The utter shock on Granger's face was priceless.

"Itol, go help somewhere else. We're fine here." Draco said after savoring Granger's expression and handing his teacup to Itol.

"Yes sir!" Itol said, disappearing in a split-second.

"Good work Granger, you've terrified him." Draco said then, getting up from his chair as Mrs. Weasley reappeared with various cleaning supplies and rags.

"It your fault! He's brainwashed and terrfied of you-!"

Draco met Granger's gaze with an evil sort of smirk. His eyes flashed and he kept glaring at her for a long moment before shaking his head. "I wonder..." He said after a second, grabbing a bottle and a rag to begin wiping at the windows. The others looked at him oddly.

_I wonder what words you'd use on her Rimu. _Draco thought to himself while he cleaned. _To make her understand. _

"You've both mentioned that person a lot." Granger's voice broke into his concentration. He looked over to find her scrubbing at a cabinet. The others were listening in of course, even Mrs. Weasley and Black. He turned back to his window, spraying more mould remover onto the pane. "Was she another pureblood friend of yours?"

Draco gave a small laugh. "Actually she's a halfblood." He replied easily, continuing to rub the remover all over the grimy glass. "Her father was a pureblood, her mother was Muggleborn. Rimu always said it made her special though." Draco frowned for a moment. Why had he answered? Why had he explained?

_Because I want to. _He realized suddenly, the thought making him pause in his work. He really did want to talk about Rimu. A lot. He wanted other people to know her name, so that he could be sure she hadn't disappeared from the face of the earth. He wanted to brag about her, and laugh at the memories of her clumsiness, and he wanted other people to understand that she was a special person. He'd thought he wanted to keep her a secret, but obviously he'd misunderstood his feelings. He wanted to share his memories, he wanted to hold her above the masses and have them admire the girl.

_She'd be annoyed if she knew that. _Draco thought to himself as he resumed scrubbing. _But she'd let me do it. She would always let me do whatever I wanted. So I'd learn..._

"Eh? So it is a girl?" Weasley asked, his blue eyes wide. Draco mentally rolled his eyes and then gave a short nod. "And a _halfblood_?"

"Got a problem with halfbloods Weasley?" Draco asked with a chuckle and a look over at Potter. Weasley spluttered, immediately launching into a fight.

"I do not! That's you Malfoy! I'm perfectly fine with anyone, it's you who's supposed to hate everyone who isn't like you!"

The blonde silently counted to ten before letting out a grunt. "Yes, exactly. I was _supposed _to." Draco waited for the emphasis he put on the word to get through Weasley's thick skull. "I didn't think much of anyone else to be honest." He added in a much quieter tone. "I'm not ashamed to admit it, it's the truth. The others...they were the background. Even my own parents became a background during those days. Thanks to her..."

"You seem to have cared very much for this girl." Mrs. Weasley spoke up then. It was in a quiet, maternal voice. Draco knew that tone. He remembered it. Not from his own mother, but from the days when he'd known Rimu's mother. She too had been a bit like Mrs. Weasley. That warm, maternal kind of person.

He nodded, not wanting to betray the lump in his throat.

_I'll start talking about you Rimu. _Draco decided as he finished his work and moved onto another window. _I have to talk about you. I can do it now. I'll tell Blaise about you. Yeah, I'll tell him and anyone else. But, slowly. _

The lump in his throat eased, though his chest still felt too tight and his eyes burned. He blinked, cursing when he felt tears leak out. He was grateful he was facing away from the other as he surreptitiously wiped at his face.

_I guess now that I can, I **have **to. I might just burst if I don't._

_It hurts..._

* * *

Primula sighed and laid back on the grass, staring up at the stars in the sky. She could name a few of the constellations but she wasn't looking at the constellations that night. She was reading the stars. Long ago the centaurs had taught the gypsies how to read the stars and the planets for the answers to the future. That knowledge had been handed down through the ages, from parent to child for centuries.

So Primula lay back, her arms behind her head, and she read the stars. There was big trouble brewing. The stars themselves trembled.

She shut her eyes. There was terrible destruction ahead for all of them. Sadness and pain.

Suddenly, she wondered if the stars had foretold of That Day. If someone had read the stars and realized on That Day that Primula's life was going to be completely destroyed.

Turning onto her side, she curled up into a ball, one arm blocking her view of the caravan settlement just a few yards away. She closed her eyes, trembling a little.

_"Let's promise to always be together!" _

_"Always together?" _

_"Always!" A pause. "Don't you want to be together forever?" _

_"I do! I was just making sure you meant it. People say things they don't mean all the time you know." _

_"Well I mean it. I want to always be with you." _

_"I want to always be with you too." _

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise." _

"A child's promise." She whispered as she curled up further into herself. "A silly promise. How could we keep it? We were ruled by everything outside ourselves..."

That was what hurt the most really. Beyond the sadness of losing her mother. Beyond the ache of never seeing her best friend again. Beyond it all, that was the fact that hurt the most. They hadn't been _allowed _to try. They hadn't been allowed to grow. Their worlds had collided and rendered things dead and finished.

What hurt the most, was that she hadn't been given the chance to try and keep her promise. Even when she'd begged for it. Her world had overruled her and told her 'No'.

She'd gone along with it. Because she was a child. What did children know of the world? What could they do about it? What could they fight off?

"We're weak." Primula murmured as she moved her arm to find someone coming towards her. "We were weak. What could we do...other than cry?"

_Now, that's not exactly true. _Said the voice in the back of Primula's mind. She smiled. That was the voice of Draco's Rimu, of the girl she had been. _You weren't that weak...were you? _

_Not that weak... _Primula pondered as she sighed heavily and sat up. The person coming towards her was one of her people, one of the Iamar gypsies.

"Priestess! The Soltare and Helio Princes have arrived! Aviyam wants you to meet in Kahjit's home right now."

Primula nodded and stood up as the messenger turned and hurried to report that he'd found her. Primula stared after him for a second. Then she began to walk slowly towards Kahjit's tent. She didn't understand why Aviyam always wanted her to attend the meetings between the Princes. That was his realm, his world.

She stopped suddenly, a gasp of shock passing through her lips. She swayed a little in surprise at herself as she stared unseeingly ahead of her.

His realm, his world.

Not _hers_. Not _theirs_.

Since when had she thought of it like that?

_"Is something wrong? With being a gypsy?" _

_"Mother says gypsies are rouge wizards who cheat and steal and are dirty. She says I can't be friends with you because you'd just try to steal from us." _

_"I would not! I wouldn't Draco! Never ever! Draco's my friend! I wouldn't so something like that-"_

_"I know." _

_A smile that was sad and burning. A smile that said more than he had. _

_"Then I'll stop being a gypsy! I'll be like you!" _

_A quick decision, made with a child's honesty. She was ready to go through with it in that moment. _

_"Eh? No! Don't do that! Stay how you are!" _

_"But Draco's mama-"_

_"I like Rimu how she is! Don't change! I know you're not a bad person! And I don't care what Mother says. She's... She's... __She's wrong!" _

Primula blinked, shaking her head. Putting a hand across her eyes, she wondered why she'd suddenly remembered that conversation. It had been one of their last ones. That was when things had started going wrong.

But why had she remembered that now?

"If Draco were here..." Primula said to herself, still a bit shaken up. "If I told him, what would...? What would you say Draco?"

Groaning, she sighed when her mind didn't produce an answer. She could never be sure anyway. Draco could have changed, just like she had changed. He most surely had.

Primula felt a great ache blossom in her chest then. She gasped at the sheer force with which it squeezed her lungs and heart.

She didn't want Draco to be _too _changed. She didn't want to know if he'd turned into his father. If he was betrothed like he had said his mother wanted. If he was cold and Dark and full of disdain for the world.

She didn't want to know if he'd changed into a person who hated her.

"Primula?" The call of her name made her look up. She found herself facing Zinnia, who was wearing a questioning frown. "Little niece, why are you crying?"

Touching her cheeks, Primula discovered she did indeed have tears falling down her cheeks, traveling to her chin where they then fell.

"I don't know." She replied honestly. "But I was thinking about Draco and what if he'd changed..."

"Ah." Zinnia said as she stepped forward and pulled her shawl off, wrapping it around Primula. "That explains everything." Zinnia pulled Primula into a hug then. "You're afraid he's changed so much, that he'll no longer like you?" Primula nodded. "Didn't I say he's surely waiting for you?" Zinnia asked then making Primula sniffle as she nodded again. "Well then why are you worrying?"

"Because _I'm _not like how I was." Primula murmured. "I've changed. So he has to have changed too, right? Which means he could be...a complete stranger."

Zinnia pat her head then. "Yes. He'll have changed. We all change, as we gain age and wisdom. But the feelings and memories you shared, they're still there."

"How can you be so sure?"

Zinnia pulled back and winked. "Because I just can be. Trust your Aunt." Zinnia teasingly chided as she began to lead Primula towards the caravan. "Come now, wipe your tears. Tomorrow, I'll show you how I can be so sure."

With that promise, Primula wiped her eyes and took deep breaths to loosen the squeezing feeling in her chest.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow was soon enough.

* * *

Zinnia looked down at her sleeping niece. Primula slept like a child, curled up on her side, one hand under her pillow, the other wrapped around her blanket. Her brown hair spilled everywhere and her face relaxed.

Looking around Primula's room, Zinnia saw a picture of their family. She saw Aster, who was Aviyam and Primula's father, along with his wife Pallas, Zinnia herself, Avi and Primula. That had been a happier time. Zinnia had still been a child. The youngest of her family, she'd been born shortly before Death Eaters had killed her mother, father, and most of her other siblings. Their caravan had sustained heavy losses on that dark night.

Aster had taken care of her after that, and Zinnia had grown up with him and Pallas acting as her parents. When Aviyam and Primula were born, Zinnia had welcomed them as siblings. Even now, all these years later, she treated her niece and nephew more like brother and sister. Until she needed to pull rank of course.

Zinnia loved them both. They were all she had left of her family. Which was why she was going to go against her nephew's orders.

"I'll show you, you have nothing to fear little niece." Zinnia whispered as she kissed the sleeping girl's cheek and then pulled a cloak off of a peg, leaving the tent. It was pitch dark. A night of no moon. Pulling the cloak hood over her head, Zinnia walked quickly out of the settlement, past tents, and past the one in which the Princes still were in, trading information about the treasonous Selino Caravan.

Once she felt she was far enough, she Apparated away, landing in a field just outside of a small village. Up in the distance she saw a magnificent castle, its windows lit still. Zinnia knew the village to be Hogsmeade, and the castle to be Hogwarts. Before the Wiltshire Incident, Pallas had been planning on sending Primula to that castle.

Zinnia walked through the silent village, remembering Pallas Moon. Zinnia's brother Aster had been crazy in love with that woman. Zinnia had been a little jealous at first. She'd always had a bit of a complex when it came to her big brother Aster, and when Pallas had shown up, Zinnia had felt like the woman was stealing him away. But once the jealousy died down, Zinnia had learned to love the woman just as much as she'd loved her other sisters. And after Aster had been killed, Pallas had continued to care for Zinnia, which had further bonded Zinnia to Pallas.

"I am sorry." Zinnia murmured up at the sky. "I couldn't bear to cause Aviyam more pain by sending Primula here, like you wanted Pallas."

After the Wiltshire Incident, Aviyam had been frantic to keep Primula safe. Zinnia couldn't blame him. Fifteen years old was much too young to be forced to lead a caravan. Fifteen was too young to have your mother die in your arms. Aviyam had survived it though. He'd pulled strength from somewhere and he'd done good the past four years.

Primula...Primula had been strong too. Too strong, in Zinnia's opinion. The girl had watched her mother die, had cried for days, and then just suddenly her tears had dried up. She'd buried her sadness in herself, and instead worked hard on providing the comfort Aviyam had needed. The comfort Zinnia had selfishly taken as well.

That was why Zinnia was going to defy Aviyam's orders. Her nephew feared letting Primula return to this land, into the view of the wizards that had tried to destroy them. He'd ordered Zinnia to not have any contact with anyone outside the caravan, knowing probably that Zinnia had planned on doing just that for Primula. But it just wasn't fair for the young woman. It just wasn't right that her niece was so close to the one she wanted to see, and yet still so far away. Zinnia knew Primula wouldn't disobey Aviyam. She'd want to keep her brother happy, even if it made her heart ache.

Zinnia was the older one though. She wasn't above pulling her rank. Aviyam would just have to deal with it. Zinnia wasn't going to let her little niece suffer silently anymore.

The gates to the school opened silently. Zinnia paused for a moment, then continued forward in the dark.

After a few minutes she had reached the front doors. They too opened soundlessly. She took a couple steps inside then paused. There was a grand staircase leading up to the other floors, a door that opened onto a great chamber, and then dark stairs leading down into the bowels of the castle. She wasn't sure where to go until a tug pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Begging your pardon miss." The little house-elf squeaked. "Professor Dumbledore asks Jetty to lead miss upstairs." The elf explained.

"Thank you." Zinnia replied and followed the elf through the castle. Portraits slept or watched her as she followed the little creature. Zinnia could feel the thrum of the magic in the ancient castle. It sizzled in the air and hummed in the walls. No wonder this was such a famed place.

Soon enough they were standing in front of a gargoyle statue. "Chocolate Frog." The elf squeaked and the gargoyle moved to reveal a revolving staircase. The elf bowed as Zinnia stepped onto a stair and let herself be carried up to an oak door. Taking a breath, she knocked.

"Enter." Called a voice from within. She turned the handle, stepping inside to find the office had three occupants.

One was the man Zinnia knew as the Wise One. His long silver hair and beard, his twinkling blue eyes, the crooked nose, the benign aura, those were the features of the Wise One. Aside from the Wise One was another man, much younger, with a curtain of black hair, dressed all in black, with pale skin and a sour expression on his face. Zinnia met his glare with one of her own before moving her eyes over to the third person, another man, with grey in his brown hair and kind brown eyes. He had scars on his face and one disappearing under the collar of his robes.

"My dear," the Wise One said as he rose from his seat. "To what do I owe this honor miss...?"

Zinnia stopped staring and turned to bow to the old wizard. "Wise One, I am Zinnia Moon of the Iamar Caravan." Zinnia introduced herself. She rose from her bow and focused on the old man now. "I was hoping to speak with you." Zinnia quickly glanced at the other men. "If this is a busy time, I can always return." She added. "My business is trivial and self-serving." She admitted with a small smile.

The Wise One gazed at her. Zinnia got the impression that he could read her soul with those twinkling blue eyes. It unnerved her just a little.

"Iamar." It was not the old one who spoke. Zinnia turned to the black-haired man, whose sour expression had melted into one of curiosity.

"Yes?" Zinnia asked when the man fell silent but continued to look probingly at her.

"At the moment I have time." The Wise One said, bringing Zinnia's attention back to him. "Sit. Would you care for some tea?" The wizard asked her. Zinnia nodded, shrugging off her cloak and sitting down in the chintz chair before the man's desk. "Now then, tell me what brings you here at this hour my dear." The Wise One prompted, handing her a teacup full of sweet-smelling cinnamon tea. Zinnia wondered for a moment how he'd guessed her favorite flavor. She sipped then sighed.

"I am sorry to come unannounced like this." Zinnia began. "But tonight was probably my only chance to steal away from the caravan without my brother discovering me. He does not like England, or the wizards who live within." Zinnia murmured. "We used to inhabit these lands. We were famous for our attachment to England." Zinnia sighed and rubbed at her forehead. "We had set up a permenant settlement in Wiltshire a few years ago."

The dour looking man shifted beside her. She looked up at him with a frown. He looked back down at her and she gave up trying to understand him.

"As I am sure you no doubt remember, that ended when there was an incident between my people and the family of Malfoy." Zinnia let her anger color those last words. She calmed herself in the next second. "It was a great tragedy for our caravan. My nephew, Aviyam, chose to remove us from these lands for our safety."

"But my niece had made friends with the Malfoy child." Zinnia continued, taking a drink of her tea. "I have seen her try and hide her sadness about losing him all these years. I thought we'd never return to England, so I did my best to try and help her get over it. She hasn't though. Primula isn't that type of girl..." Zinnia shook her head.

"I was wondering Wise One, what you could tell me about the boy." Zinnia asked then. "I am certain if I could offer my niece some facts, she would be calmed greatly and perhaps find some peace." Zinnia smirked then. "Like I said, my business is trivial and self-serving, compared to all the work you must have already, considering the circumstances."

The old wizard was smiling. Zinnia took that as a good sign.

"If I may ask," he said then, "why did you not bring your niece with you?"

Zinnia smiled sadly. "Her brother has guards posted, who would have alerted him if she were to leave the settlement. No doubt I will have to face his anger when I return." Zinnia chuckled. "Aviyam...is very against allowing Primula to ever touch mainland England ever again. He worries... Or more like he fears what would happen to her if she ever did." Zinnia bowed her head then. "I cannot fault him for this fear. My own parents and my siblings were killed here during the First Wizarding War. Then he lost his mother..."

The gypsy woman sighed heavily, taking a drink of tea to clear her throat. "Not to mention that Primula was greatly injured during the Wiltshire Incident. Aviyam has never truly forgiven himself for that. Neither have I, to be honest."

There was another quiet moment and Zinnia finished her tea, setting the cup back onto the desk. "Primula won't be happy until she sees him again." Zinnia said, more to herself than to her audience. "Some part of her was left there that day. Left with him. That little dragon has a part of my niece and he might not even realize it." Zinnia sighed yet again. "Primula hid her tears. She hid her sadness and anger and pain. She provided comfort for me and Aviyam. I didn't realize it, not until last night."

"I didn't want to risk going to Wiltshire. So instead I came here." Zinnia turned then to smirk at the brown-haired man. "I remember you." She said then. "Professor Lupin, wasn't it?"

"Yes." Lupin replied with a smile. "I don't believe I saw much of you during my time with the Iamar however."

"You wouldn't have." Zinnia replied. "I was busy helping another caravan during that time. I was only with my own caravan for a few days during your stay."

Lupin nodded. "I take it your niece spoke of me then?"

Zinnia nodded. "She was happy." Zinnia told him. "Happy someone had given her some news of Draco Malfoy. Which is why I decided to come here."

"I think the best person to ask about young Mr. Malfoy would be Severus here." The Wise One said, motioning to the other man. "He is the Head of Slytherin House, and is a personal acquaintance of the Malfoy family in general."

Zinnia turned to look at him once more. Severus was looking at the old wizard though, his intent stare making Zinnia wondered if he was projecting his thoughts at the old man.

"Draco is currently in London." Severus said after a bit more staring. His dark eyes met Zinnia's as he smirked a tiny bit. "He chose to not follow his father's path and is currently being held in a safe location."

"Huh?" Zinnia asked then, blinking a little. "What do you mean by that?"

The dark-eyed man looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. "It means that Draco has chosen to not become another Dark wizard like his father. He has chosen to ally himself with our order." Severus said with a nod towards the old wizard.

"Ha!" Zinnia laughed now, her face breaking out into a grin. "Little dragon, I didn't think you had it in you." She muttered while trying to calm her laughter. "I was sure he'd get sucked into it, sooner or later."

"Draco has more inner strength and cunning thoughts than he let's on." Severus replied, sounding a little miffed by Zinnia's reaction. "He has not forgotten either." Severus said seriously. Zinnia's giggles cut off, like someone had hit a mute button. "He still remembers the gypsy child he played with." Severus told the young gypsy woman. "He misses her greatly. He even asked me to begin trying to search for her."

A smile spread on Zinnia's face then. "Of course he hasn't. Who would ever forget little Primula?" Zinnia began giggling again. "I told her." She said then with a pleased grin on her face. "I told her he'd still be waiting for her. I just knew it. Those two..." Zinnia's expression became dreamy. "They were connected. From that first day onwards. I knew it. I could see it." She beamed up at Severus then. "I just knew it."

Clapping her hands together, the gypsy woman stood. "Oh what to do now!" She asked as she began to pace, her skirt rustling. "What to do? What to say? Ack! Primula will be so happy!"

Severus watched the woman as she continued to pace, a look of delight on her lips. He didn't think he'd ever seen someone so happy on another's behalf.

Zinnia froze suddenly, her delight draining from her face. "Oh...what am I saying? Aviyam would never let her see him. He'd never let her go to where Draco is." Zinnia sank to the floor, a pout on her lips.

"Why not?" Severus asked her, frowning as well. He had never expected to find the gypsies so quickly. He hadn't even had to search that much, she'd come to him. He'd been expecting to wake Draco with the news. Now the young woman was speaking of an obstacle, which did not please the potions master one bit.

"Because." Zinnia murmured, looking up at him. "He's afraid that if he does...he'll lose Primula." Smiling sadly, the young woman added, "One way or another, he's certain he'll lose his little sister."

"This," Dumbledore's voice broke into their silent musings, "will take some planning then." He told them with a twinkly-eyed smile.

* * *

_**End chappy 3! Thanks for your patience! Heheh, and so Dumbledore begins to plot... ^^. **_


	4. Eyes That Cannot See

******************~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

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* * *

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**Chapter Four: Eyes That Cannot See**

**DM**

_"There's only one thing you have to understand little dragon. Everyone has fear. Everyone. Even your parents. Even Primula. Everyone is scared of something." _

_"But heroes don't get scared, right?" _

_"Wrong. Even heroes, maybe especially the heroes, get scared. What matters though is that you face your fears. Because then you'll see, there was nothing to be scared of in the first place." _

The words had echoed in his head long after the memory had faded. Draco frowned as he sat down at breakfast, his eyes on his oatmeal and his mind on Potter. Today was Potter's hearing. He didn't doubt the bespectacled git would get off. Potter just had the uncanny ability of causing the rules to no longer apply.

No, he was sure Potter would return in a few hours, looking relieved and wearing that idiotic grin of his. What had him pondering so much was that memory, and the words that insisted on lingering, making Draco linger on them.

"Draco?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she saw that nearly everyone had finished their food while Draco's plate was still full. "Is something wrong with your food?"

"No. It's fine. Just got lost in my thoughts." Draco replied, shaking his head and taking a big spoonful to ease the worry lines on the redhead's face. As Mrs. Weasley smiled, Draco realized he'd been doing that a bit too. He'd been saying and doing little things to -dare he say it?- make the people around him feel better.

It was a bit disturbing. Draco was sure something was wrong with him. He was being nice to people he'd disliked. And he still disliked them for the most part. He'd hated them because he'd had to. But he disliked them because they were strangers to him. Annoying strangers who had probably never had to worry about the things Draco had suffered through.

"Oi! Malfoy!" Draco snapped out of his thoughts again to find one of the twins waving a hand in front of his face. "See Mum he's fine. Just spacey."

Draco felt himself flush, turning to Mrs. Weasley who was looking worried. Worried, honestly and truly worried.

"Are you really all right Draco dear? It's not like you to be so withdrawn." Mrs. Weasley had gotten up and was currently checking Draco's temperature.

His flush turned hotter and Draco gently pushed her hand away. "Yes, fine. Really. I've just been thinking a lot this morning."

"Anything you need to talk about?" She asked kindly. Draco was about to say no. He was going to say it was fine. Mrs. Weasley's face blurred though, and Draco saw a pair of blue eyes and a wild mane of dark brown hair.

Blinking the hallucination away, the blonde decided to talk about it a little bit.

"I remembered something." Draco told her quietly, knowing even if he whispered the others would hear. "Something from before That Day. It's been making me feel...odd."

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley pressed softly, Draco noted.

"My friend Rimu's mother." Draco said in a hush. "Pallas. Her name was Pallas. She was like you a bit." He admitted with a smirk. "She knew what I was like but she still didn't give up on me. She always knew what to say too. I just remembered something she told me and it just opened the other memories up." Draco sighed, shaking his head. "It's my fault she died." He added so quietly he was sure no one could hear.

"I very much doubt that." Mrs. Weasley huffed suddenly, making Draco look at her with another smirk. "How could you be at fault for her death?"

Draco knew he either had to shut up at the moment or talk about it. He thought about it then decided it wouldn't kill him to admit it.

"Rimu told me a secret about her caravan." Draco murmured. "And Father overheard me telling Blaise about it. It's because of that...that That Day happened. That's why Rimu got hurt. That's why Pallas died." Draco buried his face in his hands for a second until his eyes stopped stinging.

"The results of your carelessness are not you burden to bear." Severus said coolly making Draco jump a little. "You did not know Lucius overhead you until afterwards. You did not know he would be willing to go so far for the Iamar Eyes."

"Professor..." Draco blinked. "What're you doing here?"

Severus offered his favorite student a small smile. "I have news of the caravan. They are currently on the Isle of Wight."

Draco's jaw dropped for a second before he snapped it shut. Jumping up from his chair, he hurried over to the man and grasped the front of his robes.

"Can you take me to them? Right now? Please!"

Severus shook his head, placing his hands on Draco's shoulders. "Right now they are being cautious and are not letting any outsiders within the caravan settlement."

Draco clucked his tongue. "I'm not exactly an outsider."

"But you are not exactly welcome." Severus added and Draco felt his stomach fall out.

"I'm not?" Draco asked. Severus shook his head.

"I managed to speak with one of the gypsies. She told me Aviyam has told them all to trust no one who bears even a resemblance to the Malfoy." Severus told him and Draco slumped against the taller man, breathing heavily out through his nose.

_Great. Just great._

"Did you see Rimu?" He asked then, looking up in black eyes.

Severus shook his head. "She is being kept within the heart of the caravan, and very few have seen her these past few days."

Draco scowled then. Severus squeezed his shoulder in sympathy. "I will not give up yet Draco. Remain strong."

The blonde pouted for a moment longer then nodded and straightened himself up. "I'll do my best sir."

"What was that you mentioned Severus?" Mrs. Weasley asked then with a small frown. "Something Eyes?"

"The Iamar Eyes." Severus nodded towards Draco. "And Draco would know much more about them than I would. However, it is up to him whether he wishes to share the Iamar secret or not."

Draco frowned suddenly. "Professor..." He said slowly as his mind began to tick with the new thought he'd had. "Professor...why are the Iamar on the Isle of Wight? Rimu told me that the Isle was only used when the caravans were meeting."

Severus gave a short nod. "The gypsy I spoke to tells me that all the caravans in the Northern Alliance are currently meeting."

"The Iamar, the Helio, the Soltare, and the King Caravans?" Draco asked in surprise. "But...but they can't be." Draco argued, shaking his head. "Rimu said it would take something really threatening to bring them together. The last time they all met together was because of the Eyes."

Severus offered Draco a pensieve look then. "I had not thought it was such a rare occurance."

"It is." Draco replied. "The caravans visit each other a lot, but they hardly ever use their permenant settlements unless they're in serious trouble. Pallas had never even been to a reunion of all the caravans and she'd been married to Aster for ages."

"This information could prove useful Draco." Severus said with a smirk after pondering the blonde's words. "I will relay this to Dumbledore. Perhaps he can make more sense of it all." Severus checked his watch then. "I must be going. I merely wished to inform you of what little I had gathered. I will try to bring you more news as soon as possible."

"I can wait a little longer sir." Draco said with a smile then. "Rimu's close. That's enough to keep me happy for the moment."

Severus squeezed his shoulder with an odd look in his eye then he nodded to everyone and turned to head for the fireplace. He Flooed away and left Draco standing in the middle of the kitchen.

A lazy, pleased grin spread over his lips then and he chuckled as he reached a hand down into his pocket.

"She's close..." He murmured, turning around to find everyone staring at him. His pleasure cooled a little and he ducked his head when he felt the blush crossing his cheeks.

"That's wonderful that your friend is nearby Draco dear." Mrs. Weasley said cheerfully. Draco looked up and couldn't help the smile on his face. Part of him felt foolish for letting so many Gryffindors see him grinning like a child, but the rest of him wanted to cheer from the rooftop so he figured grinning was the better alternative.

"I was thinking she'd be in Africa or somewhere near Japan." Draco told her as Itol appeared. "Itol!"

"Yes Master Draco?" Itol squeaked with a smile and a bow.

"Severus says Rimu's on the Isle." Draco told the elf. The elf's ears flapped happily as his eyes grew rounder.

"Miss Primula is close! Oh this is good, good news Master! Itol is very happy!"

Draco nodded, going back to his chair and beginning to devour his food. Mrs. Weasley watched on happily.

"Master Draco." Itol said then, tugging on his towel and bowing very low all of a sudden. "Master Draco, if master wishes, perhaps Itol could go see Miss Primula?" Draco's spoon stopped halfway to his mouth. "Itol did not dare before, because Itol had to care for Master Draco and protect Master Draco sir. But...but..."

Draco turned to Itol and smirked suddenly, his gray eyes sparkling. "Itol...go. And make sure no one but Primula sees you. Don't approach her yet, just...check up on her." Draco told him. Itol positively beamed as he disappeared with a large crack.

* * *

Primula coughed and then groaned as her throat protested. She'd been sick for two whole days. It wasn't anything surprising. Ever since That Day she was as susceptible as a newborn. Sometimes she would get sick for no reason.

She made sure she was hidden behind the bushes she'd conjured as another horribly wet cough passed her lips. Sometimes she wondered if it was a punishment, for the selfish way she'd used the great power of the Eye.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small orb, the size of a dragon's eye. It was made of amber and glowed with some sort of light that darted around inside the orb.

"The Eyes of the Iamar." Primula muttered, holding the amber orb to her chest. The light from within seeped through the orb and onto her chest, sinking into her skin after a moment. Primula felt everything settle, and her throat was left curiously numb as the magic healed the irritation.

The Iamar Eyes were a set of small gemstone orbs. There were four. The Dragon Eye, which was made of bright red carnelian stone. The Mermaid Eye, made of aquamarine stone. The Prophet Eye, made of onyx. And the amber orb Primula held was known as the Basilisk Eye.

Once Primula's father had been in possession of all four, just as his mother had been before him, and his grandfather before her. When Aster Moon had died, Primula had inherited the orbs, as dictated by their family tradition.

Primula had broken the traditions however, and had separated the Eyes. She'd kept the Prophet and Basilisk Eyes, and given away the Mermaid and Dragon Eyes.

"I need to get those back." She murmured to herself as she breathed in slowly. "Draco..." She murmured as the magic pulled her under, making her sleep. "Draco..."

Itol stepped out from behind the bushes as soon as he was assured Primula was asleep. The elf conjured a blanket and spread it over the gypsy girl. He looked at the amber orb in her hand and sighed heavily.

"Miss Primula needs Master Draco...doesn't she?" Itol asked the sleeping girl. "What troubles does Miss Primula have, Itol wonders?" The elf checked the girl over. She was alright at the moment. She needed rest.

The elf made certain to make the bushes vanish so that Primula would be found quickly and then moved a ways away before Disapparating.

* * *

"Miss Primula is using her Eye sir." Itol told Draco as the blonde prepared for bed. "She looked ill to Itol. But then the magic from the Basilisk Eye made her better."

Draco's brows knit together, his eyes narrowing as he ran through the various reasons Primula would use the sacred Eye to heal herself instead of a simple healing charm. None of the reasons were very good.

"Anything else Itol?" He asked while laying on his bed.

Itol nodded, smiling a little as he turned out the lights. "Miss Primula spoke Master's name in her sleep. Itol thinks Miss Primula was dreaming of Master." Itol bowed. "Good evening Master Draco."

"Good night Itol." Draco replied, smirking into his pillow. All wasn't lost then, if Primula was calling for him still.

He wanted to see her again. Even if it was only once. Even if it was a short meeting. Anything to get rid of the gnawing hole that had grown in his heart. He missed her terribly, had wanted to hear from her badly, and now she was close by.

Draco swore he'd find a way to see her again, in spite of whatever stupid impediments Aviyam Moon tried to use to keep them apart. He was still a Malfoy after all was said and done. And Malfoys always got what they really wanted.

* * *

"Draco." Mr. Weasley said over dinner the following week. Draco looked up, wondering what the man was calling his name for. "Draco, during our last meeting, we were told by a new member of the Order that you have had contact with gypsies." Draco nodded, still not sure how to respond. "Then perhaps you'd be willing to explain to me what the Iamar Eyes are."

"What for?" Draco said then, eyes narrowing. He hadn't told anyone about the Eyes yet. He'd decided it wasn't his secret to share.

Mr. Weasley grimaced for a moment then sighed. "It would seem a group of gypsies, the Selino Caravan, has allied with You-Know-Who. And they have offered to present You-Know-Who with something called the Iamar Eyes."

The breath in Draco's lungs seemed to evaporate. He dropped his goblet and the pumpkin juice spilled all over the table rapidly. His eyes widened as he attemtped to remember why he needed to breathe.

"No!" It was surprising how forceful he could make the word when he wasn't entirely sure he'd been breathing in the last five seconds. "No! They can't do that! Not to Rimu! The bastards!" He jumped up from his seat, furious and afraid all at once. Afraid for Rimu, furious because of the audacity of the Selino.

"Draco dear, calm yourself." Mrs. Weasley said as she watched Draco stomp over to the wall and smack it with his hand. The blonde leaned against the wall, his palm stinging from the harsh blow against the stone. He listened though and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "Draco, tell us, what has you so upset?"

Draco whirled around to face them, not caring for the moment that his face was probably flushed and his eyes were narrowed. He clasped his hands together, twining his fingers together to keep from hitting something again.

"The Iamar Eyes..." Draco began. "They were made years ago. Hundreds of years ago, during the fourteenth century. There were four of them. The legend goes that each orb was made from a gemstone, and then embued with the spirit of a powerful being. They are each named after the spirit of the being." Draco sighed. "They are the Dragon Eye, the Prophet Eye, the Basilisk Eye, and the Mermaid Eye. Each Eye is vastly different from the other, and holds a terrible amount of power." A memory flashed before his eyes then. A powerful blast of black-blue magic, radiating out over a battle-torn field of grass and poppies.

"The Eyes must never be used frivolously." Draco continued, his eyes clouding over as he rememebred what Itol had said. The elf had gone to see Primula twice more, and both times Primula had used the magic of the eye instead of her own to heal some minor illness. "Their powers are to be kept safe, and used only in dire situations. For in order to use an Eye, a price must be paid, and the price is never easily paid."

Another image came forth. One of a little body, sprawled on the torn up earth, twitching uncontrollably while blood seeped from cuts all over it. Draco blinked it away. "The price is almost never worth the risk."

"But..." Draco turned to Mr. Weasley then, his eyes narrowing again. "How can the Selino offer the Eyes to the Dark Lord? They are not a complete set, not anymore."

"They aren't?" Mr. Weasley asked. Draco shook his head.

"The Mermaid, Prophet, and Dragon Eyes are not with Primula." Draco informed the surprised redhead. "The Prophet Eye was destroyed the last time it was used. I don't know where the Mermaid Eye is hidden, but I do know that Primula has possession of the Basilisk Eye and the whereabouts of the Dragon Eye."

"Do you now?" Mr. Weasley's blue eyes lit up. "Tell me Draco, so that I might inform the Order."

Draco looked at him for a long moment then he allowed an old, smug smirk to twist his lips. He dug into his pocket, and then pulled out a small orb of bright red carnelian. A ripple of magic washed over the orb as Draco held it in his hand, twisting it a little so that the light shined on him.

"This is the Dragon Eye. Primula gave it to me for my ninth birthday. For protection, she told me." Draco held the orb between his fingers, staring as the magic inside rippled and clashed within the stone.

"Whoa." Came from several of the teens around the table then as they jumped out of their seats and crowded around Draco to stare at the clearly enchanted orb.

"Rimu and I called them the Eyes That Cannot See." Draco murmured with a chuckle. "Rimu inherited them when her dad died during a raid the Death Eaters made in their camp. The Iamar Caravan was more than halved during that raid. There were lots of casualties." Draco explained as he pocketed the Eye. "That's when the Eyes became Rimu's. She was in charge of them when she was really young. Her mother made sure she completely understood what they were and hardly ever let her touch them. In fact, Rimu told me she had to sneak the Dragon Eye out when Pallas was out doing some healing." Draco chuckled again at the memory.

"So what are they used for?" Granger asked then, predictably Draco thought in annoyance.

"Weapons of course." Draco replied with an eye roll. "Weapons against rival caravans and anything that threatened the Iamar. It would take years to master the power of each though." Draco's hands suddenly clenched into fists. "Rimu knew that...but she used the Prophet Eye anyway..." Draco flinched away from the image of Rimu, laying torn-up and nearly dead. "She tried her best..." He murmured as he closed his eyes.

"Your gypsy friend used one of them?" Mr. Weasley repeated.

"Yeah. On That Day." Draco bowed his head. "Father heard me telling Blaise about the Iamar Eyes. He called a few of his old contacts, and decided they'd storm the caravan, demand the Eyes, or fight and steal the Eyes." Draco shuddered. "The Iamar are no pushovers. They fought with Father's group. There were lots of casulaties. So many...all over...and the field was littered..." Draco felt the memories trapping him in that dark night once again. "Rimu and I...we were being shielded by Pallas. Father found us...and before anyone could do anything, he killed her." Draco looked up, his eyes dull. "Just like that. Pallas was gone just like that..."

He felt his head spin as he recalled the horror of seeing Pallas fall, her blue eyes empty and staring up at the starry sky without a hint of life. He remembered Rimu's heartbreaking cry. It was all too much. He shook his head.

"Father turned on us then. He forced me away from Rimu and then started hitting her with curses, trying to make her tell him where she'd hidden the eyes." Draco continued in a monotone. "Rimu wouldn't though, she wouldn't tell him a thing. And then...she pulled the Prophet Eye from her pocket." Draco put his hand over his eyes. The light in the kitchen suddenly became too bright for him. "She used it, summoned the magic, and it spread like wildfire, all black-blue and sizzling. 'Stop the fighting.' That was Rimu's command. The magic spread out and did that, striking down people left and right, making curses fly astray and putting everything at a standstill. The magic flew back at her then, and hit her and Father dead on." Draco stopped and stood still, hearing the echoes of pain in his mind.

"The magic was too strong, so it rebelled against Rimu. She and Father were both injured, but Rimu was nearly killed." Draco whispered. "Her brother and a couple others hurried over while Father couldn't attack and picked her up, apparating away. I remember seeing the Prophet Eye on the ground. It was pulsing, it was angry maybe, or maybe it was just ready to break. The eye broke apart into a dozen pieces and the magic swept over everything in a last fury." Draco shook his head as he lowered his hand. "That was the first and only time I witnessed the power of an Eye. And considering everything it cost me, I never want to see that kind of power unleashed again."

There was silence as Draco leaned against the wall, his mind sinking into his nightmarish memories.

"Draco," Mrs. Weasley called gently after a minute, "how is it that we never heard about this?"

"Father paid off the Ministry, who in turn demanded that the media not run the news." Draco spat venomously. "Father and his associates made it sound like the gypsies started everything, so of course the Ministry believed him. You should know how wizards feel about gypsies." He paused as the adults nodded.

"How do wizards feel about gypsies?" Potter asked then, eyes on Draco. Draco frowned.

"I've heard that your Muggle relatives treat you like shite Potter." Draco said then.

Potter looked startled then angry as he gave a curt nod. "Yeah, so what of it?"

"Most wizards think and treat gypsies like utter shite." Draco said. "So just think of how your Muggle family treats you and you'll know how most of the wizarding world feels about gyspies. Our kind consider the wizard gyspies the lowest class of wizard. Even Muggleborns have a higher standing than a gypsy of any blood status. To most wizards, gypsies are a nuisance and a liability, because they live in big groups calls caravans and use magic freely. Gypsies settle wherever they like, and pay no attention to any laws that aren't their own." Draco shrugged then, scowling at the table. "It's horrible really, but like many things in our world, that's just how things are."

Potter looked righteously indignant and it made Draco like him a tiny, tiny bit. Leave it to a Gryffindor to feel pissed off on someone else's behalf. "That sucks." Potter proclaimed after a few seconds.

"Yes it does." Draco agreed. "That's why...when I was younger...I always promised Rimu I'd change things." Draco smiled then. "I promised her a lot of things actually...and then Father had to ruin everything..."

"You really liked her didn't you?" Potter asked then. Draco nodded without hesitation.

"I think I loved her, to be honest." Draco admitted, looking up at the ceiling. "Rimu was my constant companion growing up. I could tell her anything. I could do whatever I wanted with her at my side. She would never mock me or treat me any different than she treated anyone else. I was never the next Malfoy lord or the son of a rich man with her. I was just myself, and that was all she asked for."

His cheeks grew hot as he shut his mouth and told himself that was enough. He'd revealed himself plenty this evening. Any more and he might as well just grab a Pensive and leave it out for all to see.

"Thank you Draco." Mr. Weasley said then, his eyes and face kind. "I'm sure that was difficult to talk about. It was very informative though. I will share the information about the Eyes with everyone at the next meeting."

Draco nodded. "You're welcome..." He sighed heavily. "If I'm not needed anymore, I think I'll turn in early." He turned and hurried out of the kitchen.

* * *

_They are they Eyes That Cannot See, and yet they've seen plenty of destrustion and caused it as well. They're curses. They're weapons. They're wanted by everyone who hears about them. Because those blind fools don't understand that terrible prices come with terrible powers. _

_In the wrong hands, the Eyes could destroy half the world. _

_In the right hands, the Eyes could destroy half the world. _

_No one ever wins when using their powers. _

_No one. _

_Not even the darkest Dark Lord could tame the powers of the Eyes and avoid paying his own price. _

_They were created to be used and to not be used. To be feared and admired. _

_They are my burden, Draco. My burden, my curse, my strength, my everything. _

_I think...I think I understand why the Prophet Magic attacked me that night. _

_It was too powerful, and I was too weak, and being ordered by something weaker made it rebel. _

_I caused as much devastation that night, and so the price was extracted in the Prophet Magic's last blow. _

_I was taken to the brink of death as my punishment. My body is very weak. My magic gets out of hand sometimes when I try to do too much with it. _

_That was my price Draco. My body was irreparably damaged in return for the sheer stupidity and insolence I showed that great collection of ancient magic as I tried to make it do my bidding..._

_...__As conceited as this may sound...I think I knew it, subconciously. Maybe that's why I did what I did with the Dragon and Mermaid Eyes. Maybe that's why I hid them away. _

_I know they're safe where they are. I'm glad I did it, hid them while there was a chance. The Princes have informed us that the Selino's treachery is certain, that they have joined the Dark Lord and have offered him the Iamar Eyes in exchange for his protection. _

_Fools and idiots and cowards. But don't worry Draco. I'm sure that the stupid Selino and the foolish Dark Lord will never discover the whereabouts of the other two eyes. The pieces of the Prophet Eye are safe too. As for the Basilisk Eye..._

_I'll make sure to do whatever I have to, to keep it safe from Dark hands. _

"Little niece?" Zinnia called and then smiled as she saw Primula laying on her bed, her journal under her cheek. Zinnia took it and rearranged the girl before looking at the journal. Her eyes widened as she read Primula's latest entry. She'd never known what exactly had happened to the Eyes. Primula had never told her anything aside from that she was only in possession of the broken Prophet Eye and the Basilisk Eye. She'd never told anyone she'd consciously hidden the other two Eyes. Even Aviyam believed their mother Pallas had been the one to hide the Eyes away.

Zinnia looked at her sleeping niece then made a copy of the diary. She put the original back under her niece's cheek, and pocketed the copy.

"Sleep easy little niece." Zinnia murmured as she covered the girl up. "I'll take care of everything. You don't need to carry your burden alone anymore."

She grabbed her cloak then and hurried away. She had an Order of the Phoenix meeting to attend.

* * *

_**And that is the end of this chapter. Thank you for waiting, and hope you enjoyed as always. ^^. **_


	5. Damaged

**~A Madder Red Sky~ **

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

* * *

**Chapter Five: Damaged**

**DM**

"So that is what happened." Dumbledore murmured as he took a sip of tea. Severus and Zinnia had met in his office again. They'd watched Arthur Weasley's memory and then Zinnia had read the passage from Primula's journal. After that Zinnia herself had told them what she remembered from that terrible night.

Now they sat in the headmaster's office, Zinnia wiping at her eyes while Severus made a mental note to talk to Draco as soon as possible.

"Yes Wise One." Zinnia replied with a sniffle.

"Primula was harmed somehow?" Severus asked Zinnia then. Zinnia nodded.

"I never really understood it, but she wrote about that too." Zinnia flipped through the pages towards the front. "Here. 'The Prophet was angry. He was wise and powerful and great. And I was a child, weak and useless compared to him. He was angry and so I was punished for being silly enough to believe I could use his power.' That's what she says whenever I ask about it too. That the power of the Prophet Eye struck her and broke her in order to extract its payment for her insolence."

"You speak as if these Eyes are sentient." Severus noted and Zinnia rolled her eyes at him.

"Weren't you listening during the little dragon's explanation?" Zinnia huffed. "They _are_. The powers inside the stones were extracted from _living beings_. The Eyes are just as alive as you or I because of that." Zinnia chuckled a little then. "Draco and Primula understood that better than anyone."

Severus smirked a little then. He was being continually surprised by how deeply immersed in the gypsy culture Draco had been. His favorite student was truly unlike any other child he'd met.

"Draco doesn't need to know that yet though." Zinnia said abruptly. "About Primula's injury." Zinnia narrowed her brown eyes. "Not until we know exactly how she has been hurt. It might make him reckless. Little dragon never could control himself when Primula would be injured."

Severus nodded slowly, his mind ticking away with all this new information.

"I will think on this matter for some time." Dumbledore said then, getting up from his seat. "For now, I suggest you both return to your other duties."

Zinnia and Severus nodded, leaving the headmaster's office.

"I feel a little bad." Zinnia murmured as the stairs bore them down from the office. "Lying to Primula about where I go at night."

"What does your niece believe?" Severus wondered.

Zinnia giggled suddenly, looking over at Severus with mischievousness in her brown eyes. "I told Primula I'm meeting a man my little nephew would not like." With that the gypsy winked and skipped down the last few steps. By the time Severus reached the hallway, she was gone. Her laughing look lingered however, making Severus frown.

"Ridiculous." Severus huffed, shaking his head.

* * *

Primula sighed as she listened to the Princes arguing. She'd been called into the meeting because the other Princes demanded to see the Eyes. Aviyam had told her not to let anyone know she did not have the complete set. She had already decided no one would know the truth about the Eyes until she was good and ready to share it.

"Enough!" She shouted, standing up and slamming her hands onto the tabletop. The others quieted and looked at her incredulously. "Enough." Primula repeated. "The Eyes are safe. I figure the less people who actually know what the Eyes look like, the better for us. It would mean the Selino have less reliable sources to extract information from." She huffed then and crossed her arms. "Now quit bugging me about them and start thinking of more important things." She whirled around, stomping out of the tent.

Her head throbbed a little and she moved over to a basket that was overflowing with fresh apples. She picked one up, cleaning it and biting into it while walking through the camp to cool her temper.

She was surprised the Selino hadn't wiped them out while they were all arguing. Although the caravans were all allies, they Princes of the caravans were all highly opinionated, even her brother. They were determined to have things their way or no way.

"Little niece!" Zinnia called and Primula giggled as Zinnia waved her over to the secluded little lump of trees. "I have a surprise for you."

"Hmm?" Primula wondered as she and Zinnia walked along towards their tent. She smiled as her aunt practically bounced. "Don't tell me your secret boyfriend proposed?" Zinnia turned bright red and Primula gasped. "Oh my goodness, he did!"

"No! It was just so surprising that you caught me off guard!" Zinnia huffed. Primula grinned and Zinnia whacked her upside the head. "He didn't! Besides its more of a surprise for you."

"For me?"

Zinnia was about to tell her when they heard a deafening roar. Looking up both young woman could only gape in frozen terror as a dragon dove down and let loose a blast of fire.

Primula wondered later, when she had the luxury of thinking, why she didn't see this coming. Why didn't she think that the Selino would have concocted a plan to rid themselves of the caravans. And where on earth did they get three full grown Ukrainian Ironbellies?

But in the moment, Primula only had one thought. To warn Aviyam. She pulled away from her aunt and rushed into the burning fray. People were shouting and hurrying to put out the flames. Primula heard her name and title being called plenty of times but she ignored them, her eyes focused on Kahjit's tent, where the Princes had been.

She dashed through the door and was stunned to find that the Princes were still shouting, arguing at the top of their lungs with each other. "For the love of Merlin, shut the fuck up!" She yelled shrilly. As they all turned to her Primula added, "We're under attack but dragons you twits! Get the hell out of here!"

The Princes froze for just a moment then they rushed forward, Aviyam grasping her wrist and pulling her along as they left the tent. Everyone paused as they watched the destruction the dragons had caused in the single minute they'd been attacking. Then they all began to run their separate ways, Aviyam pulling Primula along to find Zinnia. Primula distantly heard them shouting over the din. She was staring up at the sky where the dragons were hovering for the moment. There were broomsticks and winged horses among them.

Everything seemed to freeze as a voice was broadcast over the settlement.

"Iamar, Helio, Soltare, and King! I am the new Prince of the Selino! My name is Zafiro!" The voice echoed over them all.

"New Prince?" Aviyam muttered while Primula continued to stare up at the group of gypsies hovering over them all. It was pissing her off.

"I have rightfully beaten Prince Aja and now I come with only one demand! Submit your caravans to me and bring me the Priestess of the Eyes!" Zafiro continued. Primula felt her blood boiling now. How dare this upstart demand they all bow to him and that she be handed over like a sack of fruit?

"I and my warriors will be landing in the clearing beyond the settlement. You have one hour to meet with us there and comply with my demands. If they are not met, I will order my warriors to beging their assault anew. One hour!"

The winged horses, dragons and broomsticks moved over their settlement and off towards the shore. The gypsies all began to trickle in, surrounding their respective Princes. Primula was trembling a little as Zinnia pulled her along to a platform Aviyam had conjured. He was calling for all the Iamar. The other princes were calling for their subjects as well.

The princes cast Sonorus and faced each other as the gypsies gathered around. "The injured are to be taken to the Healers immediately." Aviyam said as he looked around at the Iamar. "And know this right now! I will not surrender either my leadership nor the Priestess of the Eyes to this new Prince of the Selino!"

There was a chorus of shouts. Primula gathered from the fierce looks on their faces that they were agreeing. "King, Soltare, Helio! What have you chosen!"

"The King will do neither!" Kahjit shouted and his people roared as well.

"The Helio remain faithful to our alliance!" The Helio prince called. "We will not be swayed by such underhanded tactics from an upstart Selino!"

"The Soltare are outraged by this upstart!" The old prince of the Soltare cried out. "I will not be cowed by a youngster a third my age! And the Priestess of the Eyes will be protected by all the might of the Soltare!"

Primula smiled as she heard the gypsies from the four caravans shouting all around her. They were wearing their battle faces. She knew they would put up a grand fight.

But could she let them, was the bigger question?

Looking up, Primula saw the sky was red. She thought the fires were still raging but a quick look around revealed that was not the case. It was sunset then. The sky was a madder red than any she'd ever seen.

"Aunt." Primula murmured as the Princes began calling to the warriors, and ordering the other gypsies to head for the safety of the settlement in Spain.

"Yes little niece?" Zinnia wondered as Primula turned away from the gypsies.

A violent breeze blew then and Primula looked back up at the fiery sky. She then dug her fingers into her pocket and pulled out the amber Basilisk Eye.

"I need to get the other Eyes." Primula said as she looked at the glowing orb in her hand. It pulsed, sensing her inner thoughts.

Zinnia's eyes narrowed but Primula was already jumping off the platform, running pellmell towards their tent.

"Primula!" Zinnia called after her and Aviyam turned, eyes widening as he spotted Primula's dark head in the distance. "Primula!"

"Aunt! Where is she going!" Aviyam demanded, his magnified voice causing the gypsies to take notice as well.

"She said she was going to get the Eyes!" Zinnia shouted as she too began to run after the girl.

Primula was focused on her target. She really did have to stop by the tent. The pieces of the Prophet Eye were there after all.

The Basilisk Eye pulsed again and Primula smirked. "So you're onboard then? Good. Now lets see if that snarky Prophet will play along."

She dove under her bed, pulled out the box with the ancient runes and the sutra seal. With a blast from the Basilisk Eye, the enchantment was broken and the box fell open.

The pieces of the Prophet Eye glittered in the pulsing light of the Basilisk Eye. Primula grabbed the handkerchief they rested on and stuffed them into her pocket. She ran out of the tent, almost running into her aunt. Zinnia grabbed her arm and began dragging her towards the gathering group of warriors.

"Crazy, foolish little niece! Don't scare me like that!" Zinnia scolded as she began tugging Primula towards Aviyam. "Now come on! Aviyam says we're to head to the Spanish settlement as well!"

Primula shook her head and yanked her arm away. "I won't let this turn into another Wiltshire!" Primula shouted, feeling her face burn as she stared up at her aunt. "I won't! Not for these stupid Eyes!" A red light hit Zinnia then and Primula felt guilty as her aunt crumpled to the ground. She then focused her magic and cast a wide barrier, using the Basilisk magic to fuel her own. Her body began to tingle but she ignored it. She only needed to hold it up for a little while. She turned and began running further from the settlement, towards the roars of dragons.

It was probably one of the stupidest things she'd ever done. Primula was sure it was right up there along with using the Prophet Eye. Then again, back at the tender age of eleven, how was she to know that ordering a great power to not only stop the battle, but also retrieve her mother from death, would result in the Prophet's backlash.

She could feel the pulsing in her pocket, which reminded her of an old man's grumbling. Smirking she reached in and pulled out the biggest shard of the Prophet Eye.

"Yes you angry old thing." Primula told it as she cleared some trees and wild bushes to find herself staring at the group of Selino warriors. "It's me again. Wake up. We have work to do."

The Prophet Eye shard stung her hand were she held it but that didn't matter either. It didn't matter that in the back of her mind she could feel the gypsies trying to hack at her barrier or the pain that that was causing her.

She stopped running and projected her voice. "Oi! Idiots of the Selino! I am the Priestess of the Eyes!" She shouted to grab their attention. She held up the Basilisk Eye and let loose a bolt of yellow energy. "And I'm here to give you this single warning. Back off right now or face the wrath of the Eyes!"

"Little Priestess!" A voice shouted back. The voice of the Prince Zafiro. "You need not fear us! We will you no harm! I am working on the orders of my master, the Dark One! He wishes for you to be delivered to him, to explain to him the workings of the Eyes! Do not be foolish and force me to attack you!"

Primula scoffed. Her heart was beating like crazy. Her legs shook under her skirt but she made sure none of that showed on her face. "You fool! You claim yourself a Prince and yet you bow to the whims of a mere wizard! You're a bigger idiot than I thought!" Primula shouted back. "The Dark One will never possess the Eyes! I would be a fool to allow him of all people such power! This is your last chance Zafiro! Call your warriors off and leave this settlement! Or else, their will be hell to pay!"

Laughter came over her then and it chilled her blood as the dragons rose, their wings spreading as they prepared to attack her no doubt. She smirked.

"I will take great pleasure in tellling the Dark One of your resistance little Priestess. No doubt he'll be amused!" Zafiro shouted as the dragon closest to Primula opened its mouth.

Primula shut her eyes as she dug out the rest of the Prophet shards and held them in both hands along with the Basilisk Eye.

_Draco... _She thought as she felt sparks and tingles from her hands. _Hmm...I guess that will be my price this time. I won't get to see you...ever again... _

Black-blue lights appeared along with flashes of yellow lightning. Primula opened her eyes as suddenly the lights combined and created a towering cyclone of raw power. Primula felt her breath leave her as she clutched the Eyes closer to her chest and focused all her power into them, with only one thought in her mind.

"Destroy these idiots! Extract whatever payment! Just don't-!" Primula's breath was stolen as the magic expanded and began firing off towards the Selino gypsies.

_Just don't let this turn into Wiltshire again. _

* * *

Draco dropped the dishes in his grasp. The din made everyone look over at him while he hurriedly dug the Dragon Eye from his pocket. It was glowing and pulsing.

"Malfoy?" Potter asked as Draco sucked in a sharp breath.

"Mrs. Weasley!" Draco shouted, and Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen with round eyes. "Mrs. Weasley! You have to get Severus! Or Dumbledore! Someone! Anyone!"

"Draco, calm down dear!" Mrs. Weasley replied, shocked at Draco's white face and wide eyes. He looked utterly terrified. "What is it?"

"Primula! She's using the Eyes again!" Draco didn't care that his voice was tight and broke. It didn't matter if the Gryffindors saw the fear on his face. None of that mattered. Primula was using the Eyes...and Draco was sure this time she wouldn't survive it.

"Draco?" Severus's arrival had never been more wonderful. Draco hurried to him and shoved the glowing orb in front of his face.

"Professor! You have to stop her! Primula! She's using the Eyes!" Draco shouted, bordering hysterical as he shook Severus's robes. "Hurry! Hurry up dammit! She'll kill herself!" Draco felt Severus yank away and he watched the man hurry back through the house, waking up the portrait of Mrs. Black. Draco didn't give a damn.

His fingers clenched around the Dragon Eye. "Don't let her die!" He shouted as he stared at the carnelian orb.

To his utter shock, the orb warmed in his hand and then all he could see was red.

* * *

Primula fell forward. Her body had given out. Several had survived the onslaught of the Eyes. She was sure that Zafiro was one of them. But she'd seen probably only ten brooms flying away, and some were definitely injured. She'd done her job. Her caravan had not had to fight.

She felt sad that she'd had to kill the dragons. Most of the winged horses had managed to escape though, smart things.

The powers of the Prophet and Basilisk swirled around her, zapping her a little as she continued to lay on the ground. Her body hadn't been able to withstand so much magic being conducted through it. It had broken. She was numb to any pain, but she figured her spine must have snapped, thus the lack of pain.

_I wanted to watch the sky. _She thought in a detached manner while staring out blankly. It was kind of fitting she thought, that there was an eerie silence as she lay dying. Hopefully Aviyam would be able to protect the Eyes now. He needn't worry about the Mermaid and Dragon Eyes, those were safe.

_Draco...I should have just...given them all to him. _Primula thought as a curious warmth spread over her. She would have said a dragon was breathing on her, if she couldn't see the dead dragons in front of her.

The warmth spread all over her and she was turned over, so that she saw the red sky above her. Wait...that wasn't the sky...

It was red, whatever it was, and it was all around her. She couldn't see anything as it cradled her and the redness spread over her broken body.

_Draco... _The red light reminded her of Draco. She smiled-at least she thought she smiled-at the thought. Red reminded her of Draco, of the poppies in their field, it was her favorite color in the world, and she was glad she would pass on while having her vision clouded with this brilliant light.

_Rimu...don't die. _The words made Primula gasp. Only one person called her Rimu. _Rimu...you have to be alright. I want to see you Rimu. You can't die. You just can't die! _

_Sorry Draco... I had to stop them. _Primula responded. _I couldn't bear to see another Wiltshire. What if Aunt or Aviyam had died this time? I would have never forgiven myself... _

_Rimu, you won't die! I promise! You won't die! _

_I wanted to see you. _Primula thought as she shut her eyes. _Even if it was only once. Even if only for a little bit. I wanted to see you again. How sad. I couldn't keep my promise... I wanted to, but I couldn't. _

_No! _

Primula jerked out of whatever trance she'd been under and the first thing she registered was that the red light had vanished. The second thing that she registered was burning pain.

She opened her mouth and let out a shout.

Voices were yelling her name and she wanted them to find her so that the pain could be stopped.

Someone found her then and Primula tried to focus on them as she tried to swallow the shouts. "Hurts...hurts...bad..." She said and the person, whoever it was, nodded and then Primula felt a sharp prick in her neck before everything swirled away into darkness.

* * *

Draco opened his eyes and looked around. He was panting, covered in sweat, and on the floor of the kitchen with the Weasleys and Granger looking down at him. He shifted and he saw Potter was cradling his head in his lap. Draco flushed and tried to sit up but a wave of nausea and dizziness made him reluctantly lay back on Potter's lap.

"Fuck...I feel like shite." Draco said while Mrs. Weasley hurried to the fireplace. "Why am I in your lap Potter?"

Potter picked up the carnelian ball. "This thing...it...well a bunch of red light came out of it and you got hit with it. You fell and the red light hovered all over you. You kept saying stuff then, like you were talking to someone and then all of a sudden the light just disappeared." Potter handed him the Eye and Draco stared at it. He clutched it tightly and focused.

There was no chaotic swirl of emotions or power anymore. Everything was calm. Which could mean one of two things. Primula was hurt but now getting treated. Or...

Or...she'd died.

He decided to be optimistic this time and believe the first. He allowed himself a small smile then. Of course she was alright. He'd talked to her. He'd felt her. He couldn't see her, but he'd felt her. He'd poured magic into her and it must have helped.

"I did...talk to her. To Rimu." Draco said as he tried to get up again. Potter helped him and Draco gulped down the wave of nausea. "She's...she's okay..." Draco groaned as he had to lay back down again. The cool stone floor helped the sick feeling. "Ugh...but...ugh..." Draco groaned.

"Did you get hurt?" Potter asked and Draco looked up at him then promptly shut his eyes.

"I told you didn't I?" Draco said with a small chuckle. "When you use the power of the Eyes, there's always a price. I guess I'm going to be feeling sick for a while."

"You mean, using _magic _made you sick?" Weasley asked in his annoying voice.

"Weasley, your voice is making my head hurt. Shut up. And yes, using that magic made me sick." Draco growled then groaned. "Ugh...can someone help me get up to my bed, please?"

Draco sat himself up and Potter helped him to his feet. He marveled, in the moment before his stomach tried to come out of his mouth, how much had changed since he'd come to the Order of the Phoenix headquarters.

"Potter...you're not such a prat." Draco muttered as Potter helped him manuveur the stairs.

"You're not so bad yourself Malfoy." Potter replied and Draco smirked a little.

* * *

Severus looked down at the girl. She was breathing steadily. Her body was stretched out on the St. Mungo's bed. Her brother was on the other side of the bed, silent tears streaming down his face. Zinnia had to be sedated, as hysterical as she'd become upon seeing Primula, and lay sleeping in a bed across the room.

"She's alive." The Healer said while his apprentice changed the bandages on the girls slowly healing cuts. "Which is more than I expected when she appeared. Her bones have healed and the nerves and muscles are healing and regrowing as well. We're keeping her in this coma to help with the healing, otherwise she'd be in great pain as her muscles and nerves regenerated. The important thing is she will heal. There may be some damage to her magical core, and her ability to cast spells might be affected. That is something we cannot judge with certainty until her body is completely healed."

A beat of disbelief passed then Aviyam spoke up. "How badly is it damaged?"

"Again, we cannot tell until she if fully healed." The Healer replied, looking curious then. "How did this happen again?" He asked.

"It does not matter how it happened." Aviyam said with all the authority of a Prince. "You are a Healer, your job is to heal." His blue eyes flashed and the Healer gulped.

"Yes. Very well." The Healers left and Aviyam scowled at their backs before motioning to Severus. "I want to remove her from here. These fools will only continue to meddle. None must know about the Iamar power."

Severus nodded. "The headmaster already thought of that. He has said that, if you so wish, you may intern your sister in Hogwarts."

Aviyam seemed to war with himself for a minute or two then at last he nodded. "That may be what is best for Primula. I admit, I have been putting my desires above Primula's needs for many years now. I dislike this country. I very nearly hate it. But..." Aviyam covered his face with his hands. "Snape, I charge you with protecting my aunt and sister." Aviyam's eyes flashed once more. "I'll return to the settlement and tell the others what is going to happen. We'll be separating and meeting to talk of this Zafiro." He paused, eyes going to his aunt's resting form. "Tell no one about Primula's core. Not even Aunt. For now, pretend you know nothing."

Snape gave a curt nod. "I'll watch over your family."

Aviyam sighed then leaned down and kissed his sister's forehead. "Get well soon Primula. I do not want to know what it is like to live without you as well." Aviyam ran a hand through her hair. A groan from across the room had Aviyam moving over to his aunt's bedside.

"Avi..where's Primula?" Zinnia asked groggily.

"She rests just across the room. Snape will be here to watch over you both. I must go and find the bastard who put you both here." Aviyam said quickly. "Once you are well enough to move, you will be going to Hogwarts. Aunt, protect my sister."

Zinnia frowned, letting those words process before nodding slowly. Aviyam smiled and kissed her cheek, moving to leave. "Avi," Zinnia called before Aviyam left the room, "make certain our revenge is bloody." Zinnia said with a frosty look in her eyes. Aviyam smirked now.

"Not even the Dark One will save the Selino." Aviyam promised before rushing out of the room. There was silence then as Severus stood, thinking over what Aviyam said.

"Thank you Mr. Snape, for all your help." Zinnia murmured as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Severus felt a flutter in his stomach when Zinnia smiled sleepily at him. To hide it he turned to the door.

"I will go and contact Dumbledore." Snape said as Zinnia looked across the room at Primula.

* * *

**_Whoo...that was not what I was planning. But sometimes its good to break away from the plan. ^^. Hope you enjoyed. _**


	6. Gypsies

******************~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**Thanks for the reviews and for reading!**

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* * *

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**Chapter Six: Gypsies**

**DM**

Severus finished informing Draco on the events of the past two days. The blonde was still suffering from his unintended use of the Dragon Eye magic. He'd been well enough though to demand to be moved out of his room. Itol had set him up in the drawing room, and had hardly left the boy's side.

The Weasleys, Granger, Potter, and Black had all gathered in the room to hear the story. Now they watched as Draco placed a hand over his eyes while tipping his head back, sighing heavily.

"So not only is the wizarding world going straight to the dogs, so is the gypsy realm." Draco muttered. He felt a little queasy and reached out with his other hand for the glass of ginger ale Itol was keeping nearby. "Great...just bloody great..."

Severus scoffed a little. "You do not need to worry yourself with either world-"

"Yes I do!" Draco interrupted his mentor, sitting upright and then wincing as his stomach retaliated. Slumping back in his seat he groaned and took a drink before continuing. "Rimu's problems are my problems, if only for the fact that she'll try and shoulder all the burden when she comes out of her coma." Draco explained. He paled further then. "She will come out of it, right sir?"

The potions master nodded. "The Healers at St. Mungo's did everything they could for her, and she is now under the watchful eyes of two Healers in a secure location. Not to mention her aunt has not left her side." Severus added with an eyeroll. "I think that if I did not threaten to bar her from the infirmary, that gyspy wouldn't have moved an inch."

Draco looked up with a small smirk then. "Zinnia, you mean?" At the man's nod Draco actually managed a laugh. "I remember Zinnia. Bossy and always doing whatever she wanted. She's only a few years older than me."

Severus arched and eyebrow then. "Is she now?"

"Yeah. She was the last daughter in Aster Moon's family. She was born before the raid that killed off most of their family." Draco explained, shutting his eyes. "You said Rimu had been moved?"

"Yes and you will be able to visit her in time." Draco's eyes snapped open to find his favorite professor smirking.

"When? Can I go now? You have to take me to her now!" Draco said, struggling to untangle himself from the blankets Itol had wrapped around him. Severus put his hands on Draco's shoulders and pushed him back down. "Sir!"

The man let his eyes bore into Draco's until the blonde had calmed himself a little. "Draco, you can barely walk without complication." Severus said in a slow, measured tone that always worked on calming some of the most hotheaded Slytherins. "You have two weeks before you return to Hogwarts. Primula is there, safe in the infirmary with Pomfrey." Draco's eyes widened.

"Aviyam is letting Outsiders watch over Rimu?" Draco asked incredulously.

"Only Pomfrey. The other Healer is one from the Iamar caravan." Severus corrected. Draco still shook his head in surprise. "Now listen to me Draco. You must recover. When you arrive at Hogwarts, you can visit Primula all you like." Draco grimaced but then sighed and nodded. "She may be in the healing coma for many weeks still. You will be patient. You will be calm. Your friend needs you to be those things."

Draco bowed his head and nodded. Severus was right. He had to recover. Besides, he was no use to Rimu in his current state.

"So there's gonna be gypsies at school?" Granger asked, intrest in her tone. Draco had to chuckle. Somethings never change.

"Yes Miss Granger. Three for the moment. The Iamar Prince is choosing a guard as we speak to join her."

"A guard for one girl?" Black asked then and Draco looked up with a loud snort.

"Rimu isn't just a girl." Draco said, sitting back in his seat and looking out over the crowd regally. "Think of her brother as a king. As king, Primula, as his only sibling, is as a princess." While they murmured to themselves Draco took a few sips of his glass then felt he could stomach a bit of the broth Itol had prepared. "If Aviyam does set up a guard...you'll all need to be careful." Draco warned. "Gypsies protect their own. They also take their revenge very seriously. Upset, insult, harm one in anyway and it will be seen as an attack on the entire caravan."

"So Zinnia was not merely being dramatic?" Severus asked as the boy sipped at the broth. Draco made a face as the liquids sloshed in his stomach.

"Hmm?"

"She told her nephew to make certain their revenge would be bloody. And the boy replied that not even the Dark One would save the Selino." Severus repeated. He was both amused and slightly worried about the shark's grin that appeared on Draco's face then.

"She was not being dramatic. I only ever heard stories about it, but I can tell you this. The wizard gypsies take revenge seriously. If Aviyam says not even the Dark Lord can save the Selino, then it will be so." Draco chuckled coolly then. "And if Zinnia wants it to be bloody, it will be bloody. Gypsies have very creative ways of exacting a price for any harm done to their own."

Shivers ran up every other spine at Draco's chilling words. The blonde however merely smirked at them all.

"Which means," Granger said with a spark in her brown eyes, "that we will need a crash course on how to act, so as not to offend any of them."

Draco sighed and then rolled his eyes skyward. "Granger, they're _people_. Not some magical beasts. The best way to not offend them is to treat them like _people_." Draco felt his stomach heave and clamped a hand over his mouth, closing his eyes to settle himself. Once the sick feeling had passed he opened his eyes and glared at the bushy-haired girl. "And they say you're a know-it-all." Draco scoffed with another eyeroll. "Lions..."

He laughed then. He just couldn't stop it. Everything bubble up and he had to laugh. He'd see Rimu soon. It wouldn't be the reunion he'd been fantasizing about but they would be together.

He was happier than he could remember being in many years.

* * *

"How is she?" Severus asked as he entered the infirmary. Zinnia looked up from a book she was reading and smiled.

"The Healers agree she should be fully healed physically by the start of September." Zinnia replied as she turned to look at her niece. "The headmaster offered to have her moved to a private room before the start of term. Aviyam was happy about that. He's sending a guard of fifteen before the term begins." Zinnia turned back to Severus. "How did Draco take the news?"

Severus settled in another chair across from Zinnia and smirked. "He was furious when I told him the details and then naturally he wished to rush over here to see her."

"He's still sick from using the Eye?" Zinnia asked and Severus nodded. "He'll be lucky if he's fully recovered by the start of term."

"These Eyes..." Severus said as he looked over at the bedside table where two boxes made of some type of bone were sitting, looking innocent. But even from where he sat he could feel a wave of power that prickled along his skin. "You say they are sentient and powerful."

Zinnia nodded. "They were created long, long ago. Before the Moon family took charge of the Iamar. They were created as weapons, harnessing the magical powers of the beings they are named after. They take decades to master, and even then there is always the backlash, the price to be paid. Many priestesses and priests of the Eyes have fallen due to illnesses or wounds caused by the use of the Eyes. Primula is lucky. She has survived twice." Zinnia's face became troubled then. "Something greater is going on here though, Mr. Snape. Something no one can explain."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean it is unheard of for a priestess to be able to use more than one Eye and live." Zinnia said as she reached over to brush a stray strand of hair from Primula's tanned face. "Not only that, but I have never heard of the power of one Eye traveling a great distance to aid someone before. And most importantly of all, no Outsider has ever been able to weild the power of the Eyes. The Eyes are usually dormant when in the hands of Outsiders."

Severus took all of this in then allowed his surprise to flicker over his features. "You are saying then that Draco, as an Outsider, should not have even been able to sense the Eye's power, let alone use it?"

Zinnia nodded gravely. "Exactly." Zinnia looked up and her brown eyes flashed. "I am afraid, Mr. Snape. The Dark One rises again, the Selino attack us in a most disgraceful fashion, and an Outsider has used the Dragon Eye. I am very afraid, because not even the stars seem to have an answer for it."

Severus watched the young woman as she turned to stare out the window. He found gypsies to be strange and sometimes fanciful. At least this one was. However...something about her had him wishing he knew what to say. The urge to calm her fears was surprisingly overwhelming.

Zinnia turned from the window to find Severus staring at her. She smirked then. "If you look any harder I may just vanish in a plume of smoke Mr. Snape."

The Potions Master blinked, then got up and stalked away, leaving Zinnia to chuckle quietly and lean down to whisper in Primula's ear. "You know, he's pretty fun to mess with little niece. For an Outsider anyway."

* * *

Two weeks had never dragged on longer, Draco mused as he joined the Gryffindors in their compartment. He had been told that he would remain a member of Slytherin house -thank Merlin- but that for obvious safety reasons, he would be living in Gryffindor Tower. The thought was disturbing. A snake in the lion's den. Joy.

"I feel sick." Draco muttered as he leaned his head against the window and groaned. "A year in the tower. Snakes were not made for towers." He murmured to himself. Or so he thought anyway.

"I would have taken you more for a ferret than a snake." Said the mysterious Luna Lovegood. Draco shot her a glare before sighing and letting the words slide. He had heard of the strange Ravenclaw girl before, and knew she lived in a world far beyond their own. He just gave her a little sneer while Potter tried to stifle his snickers. "Oh go on and laugh Potter, I can't exactly do anything to you anymore, can I?" Draco growled. Potter chuckled aloud then along with Longbottom, who was still trying to hide it. "While you're at it, you might want to tell Longbottom I'm no longer Slytherin's Prince, so he can stop acting like I'm a rattlesnake."

Potter calmed down and nodded, turning to Longbottom while Draco curled up in the corner seat he'd taken. He was managing to keep his food down the past three days but he still felt weak and sick. He reminded himself he'd have to be careful with the Dragon Eye, which was in his pocket and warm.

The compartment door opened. Draco, figuring it was someone for the Gryffindors, curled up moodily in his seat. He was feeling isolated again. He was never going to fit in with Gryffindors. He would lose any friends he'd made in Slytherin once word got out that no he wasn't missing and yes he was a turncoat...

"Draco Abraxas Malfoy!" The deep voice made Draco blink because it was one he knew very well.

"Blaise?" Draco asked, turning to the dark boy with slanted eyes who was currently trying to burn him alive. "What're you...?"

The tall boy stalked into the compartment, stood in front of Draco and yanked him to his feet, making Draco very dizzy. Blaise shook the blonde as he hissed, "You disappear for a month. A month! And that's how you greet me! I thought we were friends you bloody, spoiled, prat!" Blaise let Draco go and fumed as the blonde braced himself against his chair. He groaned, which seemed to soften Blaise as the black boy knelt down and peered up at his green-tinged face.

Draco smacked him right in the nose, making Blaise blink. "You arse. I'm barely getting over a raging fever and you decide to shake me? You're lucky I haven't puked all over those stupid loafers."

Blaise chuckled then as he sat down next to Draco and made the blonde lean against him. He summoned a cloth and tapped it with his wand, then pressed the now cool cloth to his friend's forehead. The cold helped Draco focus as he took deep breaths to avoid spilling his breakfast.

"Sorry but I nearly had a heart attack just now. Here I was, miserably contemplating what to do without you around and suddenly there you are, talking to Potter quite civilly. What did you expect, a hug and a kiss?"

Draco chuckled then as his head stopped spinning. "Okay, I forgive you." He pulled himself up to face his friend with the warmest smile he could muster. "I'm sorry but Professor Snape figured it would be best to keep up the missing charade until I was safe in Hogwarts."

Blaise frowned. "Safe? From what?"

"Father, of course." Draco told his friend with a huff. "I'm turning on the family." He added and Blaise's dark brown eyes widened then narrowed. Then, surprisingly, his face relaxed into a knowing grin.

"I wondered when you would." Blaise said as he examined his friend's face. "You've been wanting out of the Malfoy cage for years."

Draco nodded and Blaise smiled. His worries melted away. Blaise wouldn't care what side Draco was on, so long as his friend was safe. Draco smirked as the compartment door opened just as Potter and Longbottom were squirted with some black inky stuff. He and Blaise shared a look then broke into soft chuckles. They would roll around laughing about that later, when it was more appropriate to do so.

The blonde was surprised to see it was Chang and more surprised to see Potter stare after her with a look like someone had knicked his broomstick. He put two and two together then snorted softly.

"So tell me, what exactly have you been up to this past month?" Blaise asked as the door slid open again to reveal the lunch witch. Draco began with how he'd gotten away from his family, editing the story so that he made it sound like he'd been living with Severus. He spun a story about how Dumbledore had suggested Severus take Draco to meet with Potter, Granger and the Weasleys to 'bury the hatchet'.

Weasley and Granger joined them just as Draco was finishing. "So that's why I'm going to be allowed into the Tower. Dumbledore knows I won't exactly be safe once it gets out that I'm alive." Draco said as Granger and Weasley took their seats.

"And they've been treating you well?" Blaise questioned, allowing himself a hostile look at the Gryffindors.

"Of course. I had Severus as a viable threat, after all." Draco smirked. "Besides, once they heard, they inate Gryffindorness had them mellowing out."

"We still hate your guts Malfoy." Weasley piped up then.

"Speak for yourself Ron." Granger replied with a huff. Potter just gave Draco a small smile. Draco returned the look before laughing coolly.

"Weasleys and Malfoys will never get along as friends." Draco agreed. "But perhaps we can try not to kill one another."

Weasley offered a stiff nod in agreement. Blaise laughed then.

"You mentioned something about your gypsy friend earlier." Blaise pointed out then. Draco let a genuine grin slide onto his face.

"Severus found them. Apparently though, there's a bit of a war going on between them. Two weeks ago one of the caravans attacked Rimu's. She was seriously injured." A pained expression pinched Draco's features then. "She's recovering. Dumbledore even offered to let her stay in Hogwarts while that went on."

Blaise smiled then as well, offering Draco a comforting squeeze of the shoulder. "Then all will be well. I remember her well enough to know she's stubborn enough to pull through."

Draco nodded, grateful for his friend's comforting words.

"Oi, Zabini was it?" Weasley interrupted then. When Blaise acknowledged him, Weasley asked, "Won't you get into trouble with the Slytherins too, if you're still Malfoy's friend?"

Blaise shook his head. "I never involved myself too deeply into the power plays in Slytherin. That was more Draco's realm. That and I admit to having a certain talent for ruining social lives. Many of my housemates turn a blind eye to whatever oddities I posses on that fact alone. Image is everything, and I have the power to twist those images into whatever shape I want. It's quite fun to watch how easy it is for someone's popularity to be broken." Blaise smirked at the gaping stares he recieved.

"We are Slytherins, after all is said and done." Draco said the stunned Gryffindors.

"You're completely evil Malfoy." Potter agreed. Blaise and Draco shared another smile before Blaise rose from his seat.

"Well then, I am assured you won't be beaten to a pulp by Gryffindors. I'll rest easy tonight. I should go and make sure none of the others venture down this far and see you though."

Draco nodded to his friend and Blaise left with cheerful wave that was somehow menacing at the same time. Weasley shuddered.

"You're friend is creepy, Malfoy." He huffed then while stuffing another Chocolate Frog into his mouth.

"It is good that you noticed, Weasley." Draco smirked as he shut his eyes and prepared to nap for a while. "Perhaps now you'll stop sending me those murderous looks."

* * *

Draco's first thought was to head straight up to the infirmary but that plan was dashed by the most unexpected person.

"Little dragon!" The voice shouted over the din of the students making their way into the Great Hall. He looked up, eyes wide, because only certain people had ever called him little dragon.

A young woman with a tumble of dark hair appeared wearing a toga-like outfit of purple silk. She waved a brown arm and then grinned, her brown eyes sparkling when she finally reached him. Draco got up from his seat and was pulled into one of the tightest hugs he could ever remember.

"Oh stars, look at you little dragon!" Zinnia gushed as she crushed Draco in her embrace again. "Such a pretty dragon you've become!" She cooed. Draco found himself grinning as the woman pinched his cheeks. "And here I was expecting that tiny little pale child from before!"

"It _has _been four years, Miss Zinnia." Draco replied with a grin as Zinnia wrinkled her nose.

"Aunt Zinnia! Aunt! Do I have to beat that into you again little Draco?" Zinnia huffed. Draco laughed then. He couldn't help it. Zinnia grinned as she took Draco's arm, steering him away from the stairs. Draco's face must have shown his dislike but Zinnia knew how to handle the little dragon.

"You can't see her just yet little dragon." Zinnia said as they entered the Great Hall and she led him towards the Gryffindor table, where Draco spotted several other gypsies. They stood out, with their blatant wildness. Draco frowned when he saw most of them weren't much older than him. Zinnia led him over to the group who stood upon Zinnia's arrival but glared quite furiously at Draco.

"Lady, who is this Outsider?" The captain of the guards asked. Zinnia rolled her eyes as she motioned for Draco to sit. Potter, Granger and Weasley settled down next to him, staring opening at the gypsies.

"This is Draco Malfoy." Zinnia said and the guards all rose suddenly, wands drawn and pointing at Draco in a blink of the eye. Draco was shocked but made himself looked nonchalant as he looked up at them with a small smirk. "Put those away you muscleheads!" Zinnia demanded, shaking her head as the guards merely glowered. "I said put the wands away!" Zinnia emphasized her words by slamming her hands onto the tabletop. The rage in her small form had even the captain hurrying to comply. "Now listen up! This Malfoy has nothing to do with his family! It is the elder Malfoys who your anger should be directed to. This Malfoy is not to be harmed. And if even a hair on his head is singed, I will make certain you are all given a good whipping for insolence! Your Priestess would be ashamed of your behavior!"

At those last words the guards all bowed their heads and Draco turned to Zinnia. "Priestess?" He asked.

Zinnia smiled as she pat his head. "Primula." She said and Draco smiled then scowled, turning towards the doors. Zinnia chuckled and she placed a hand on his head, ruffling his hair now. "She is completely unconscious little dragon. It would do no good for you to go see her. Rest from your trip, eat a filling dinner, then I will take you to see her."

"Lady Zinnia, Prince Aviyam-" One of the guards said before he met Zinnia's dark gaze.

"Aviyam is not here, meaning my word is law at the moment." She said, her words ringing with the authority of a queen. "Either you comply or I shall send you back to the caravan!"

Draco saw a few of the younger men flinched. To be considered a warrior worthy of guarding any member of the ruling family was the dream of most young males in the caravans. To be sent away from an uncompleted mission was a mark of disgrace, for it meant either the warrior had failed or was being sent home for incompetence.

He let a little smirk curl his lips. Zinnia noticed it and rolled her eyes before laughing. "You're enjoying this aren't you?" She asked as the last students trickled in. Draco nodded. "Well enjoy it while you can little dragon." Zinnia gave him a one-armed hug then. "Primula wanted to see you so very badly. I was trying to work with your guardian, Mr. Snape and the Wise One in order to arrange a meeting for you two. But then...this happened..." Zinnia's smile had vanished. Draco found himself gulping to clear his throat. Zinnia had been willing to go against her own nephew to help him and Rimu? He smiled kindly at the young woman who ruffled his hair again.

"Hey." Draco huffed, trying to fix his hair as the noise settled. Draco felt many pairs of eyes flickering to him then over to the brown-skinned gypsies who were studying the gold plates and the enchanted ceiling with small smirks of appreciation. They kept shooting him looks too but Draco figured he should have expected it, considering what Severus had told him.

The Sorting took place then. When that was over and with the warning song still fresh in their minds, Dumbledore began the feast. Draco ate what he could, smiling when he saw that the food appearing on his plate was lighter than what was being served. He thanked Itol silently as he began on his soup.

"Malfoy child." One of the gypsies addressed him halfway through dessert. Draco looked up from the chocolate mousse and the man stared at him for a moment before asking, "Lady Zinnia tells us your loyalties lie not in your family. Where do they lie then?"

Draco wondered what answer would satisfy this young gypsy. At last he smirked. "My loyalties lie with those I consider worth my time. Such as the Slytherin, Blaise Zabini and Potter, excluding his little friends." Draco motioned to Harry who looked over at the sound of his name. Many of the gypsies noticed his scar then and their eyes widened. "Mostly though, my loyalties lie with myself and...and with Rimu." Draco said, looking once more at the doors.

"With our Priestess?" The gypsy asked.

"Yes."

"You'll remember, you twits, that Draco tried his best to take care of Primula." Zinnia added then. The warriors nodded and sighed as they finally seemed to relax.

"Our caravan has suffered." The gypsy man said to Draco then. "Our Priestess lays recovering but under enchanted sleep. You, who so resemble your father, unfortunately bring memories with you that grate on our already frayed nerves."

The blonde stood up then, so that he was a little above the gypsies. "Listen, I may look like my father, but I am only Malfoy in name now. I have left my family behind, chosen to become something other than the son of a murderer." Draco clenched his hands into fists. "Don't you think I wanted to go with you that night? Do you think a day passes by that I don't remember Pallas?"

Draco shook his head, clenching his eyes shut. "Look you, all of you, I want to change. Become something different. I want a chance to be the kind of person I was with Primula. That person, I want to be that and not be vilified for wanting to change." He opened his eyes to glare at the gypsies. "And you can go tell Aviyam that. Tell anyone you want. Just make sure you know that my words are completely true."

Zinnia pulled him down to sit again, smiling as she pat his arm. "There now Draco, calm yourself. Your words have been heard."

Draco only relaxed when the gypsy warrior held out his hand. He shook it then and the gypsies all settled down.

The food was cleared and Draco was growing antsy. He wanted to get out of the Great Hall and go to wherever Primula was.

Dumbledore rose and Draco groaned, turning to Zinnia. "Can't we go yet?" He asked the woman. She shook her head, putting a finger to her lips as Dumbledore spoke.

"...and as you may have noticed, we have guests joining us this year in the castle." Zinnia rose from her seat and waved cheerfully. "They are members of the Iamar Caravan, and I am certain you will all be courteous and kind to our guests. They will have the authority of teachers while here, so be certain to not do anything which causes them to issue detentions."

There was lots of murmuring and glances at the gypsies. Dumbledore moved on in his speech. Draco turned to Zinnia then with pleading eyes.

"Oh all right." Zinnia huffed and Draco was up and out of his seat before anyone could stop him, heading swiftly towards the doors while Zinnia called, "Little dragon, slow down!"

Once on the stairs Zinnia and the gypsy guards caught up with him. Zinnia took his hand and led the way to the fourth floor.

"So little dragon, I must warn you, Primula will not respond to anything you say. She is healed at least, so you have been spared that sight at the very least." Zinnia warned as she stepped up to a set of double doors, where four guards stood. They eyed Draco with scowls but their captain walked forward and made a sweeping motion with his arm. The men moved to the sides and Zinnia opened the door, motioning for Draco to enter. "I'll give you a moment alone." Zinnia said, shutting the door and cutting off the arguments from the other warriors.

Draco gulped as he stood by the door. The room was simply furnished, and the curtains on the four poster bed were sheer. A slice of moon was visible in one of the windows but otherwise it was dark. He walked forward, heart hammering.

When he reached the bed he paused, looking at the figure laying under a blanket. Blood pounding in his ears, and a fine sweat breaking out along his brow, he pushed the curtains aside.

The girl that lay in the bed had a heart-shaped face, tanned skin, and wild, dark brown curls that spilled all over. She was not the little girl Draco had last seen and yet Draco knew this was Primula.

He wasn't sure how long he stood there before he moved at last and sat down beside her, taking one of her hands in his own and pulling it up so that he could kiss the back of it. She didn't move an inch. He shut his eyes, letting his body fall forward. The girl beside him didn't give any indication that she knew he was there.

His eyes stung. It wasn't fair. All this waiting, then the hope, and she was laying there comatose. It just wasn't fair! "Rimu...Rimu you idiot." Draco whispered as he pushed himself back up to stare at her.

She was pretty he noted, and dressed in red silk. He felt a small smile twitch his lips. Red, Rimu's favorite color. He sighed as he took her hand back in his own and took a few deep breaths to get rid of the tears he didn't want to shed.

"Okay...okay... I can wait. I'm here aren't I?" He said as he looked at the girl once more, smiling more as the seconds ticked past. "And you'll recover. You'll wake up soon. Whether it's tomorrow or next year, I at least know you're alive and safe and I can even come see you." He nodded as he heard the door click open. "There's that at least. I can see you now whenever I want."

A heavy hand on his shoulder made him look up at Severus. He bit his lip and then quickly bowed his head as his mentor squeezed his shoulder.

"Yes. You can see her. And soon enough she will open her eyes and speak to you." Severus told him. Draco nodded.

"I know I'm acting childish." Draco told him as he looked back up at the peaceful face Primula wore as she slept. "I know...but... To be honest I was expecting her to wake up the moment I saw her."

Severus nodded though the boy wasn't paying him an inch of attention. All his attention was focused on the girl who was oblivious to her guests.

"Come. You must head to bed. You can return tomorrow. The girl's aunt has spoken to the guards." Severus said after a minute. He pulled the reluctant boy to his feet and led him all the way to Gryffindor Tower were Potter was waiting for him. "If you have need of anything, feel free to come to my quarters." Severus told Draco quietly before leaving the boy. Draco nodded and turned to find Potter looking at him curiously.

"Did you get to see your friend?" Potter asked.

"Yes. She's still in a coma." Draco replied dully.

"She'll get better." Potter said unexpectedly.

"How can you be so sure?" Draco let his insecurity show for a brief moment. Perhaps that was why Potter gave him a swift pat on the back.

"When you have people who care about you, you do everything to get better for them." Potter said in a sage sort of voice. His eyes were faraway and Draco was left wondering as Potter said, "Mimbulus mimbletonia."

"You're kidding me." Draco drawled as the Fat Lady swung forward. Potter actually grinned.

"You're going to have to say it too. Until it changes anyway." Potter said gleefully while Draco followed him up to the boy's dormitory where another bed and Itol waited for him.

* * *

_**End chappy. Hope you liked. Ja!**_


	7. A Long Awaited Meeting

******************~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**Thanks for the reviews and for reading!**

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* * *

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**Chapter Seven: A Long-Awaited Meeting**

**DM**

"Life in the lions den is scary." Draco told the still unconscious gypsy girl during his daily visit. He'd been allowed only one visit per day. Zinnia was all for letting him stay as long as he liked but Severus had seen that Draco would indeed do that and so had said very sternly that Draco was not to visit more than once a day, and only after all his lessons were over. So basically he was only allowed after dinner until half an hour before curfew.

It distressed Draco more than a little to see the girl he remembered as vibrant and full of energy simply laying on a bed, basically dead to the world.

But he didn't let it show of course, or else Severus would demand he have only one visit per week. He was lucky he got to visit Rimu every day.

"It's not bad scary." He continued as he toyed with a bit of her hair. "Just different scary. Potter made sure to tell everyone off when they decided I was free game. Considering the whole world thinks he's deranged and quite possibly a murderer, it made them all shut up. So that's not what bothers me about it. It's all too... I'm used to Slytherins. Quiet and coolness and being able to snap at people whenever I like. The tower...it's suffocatingly warm. Like drowning in a bath. It's a comfortable way to go but still frightening."

Draco chuckled then. "I'm probably being melodramatic. I can't help it. For the first time in all my life I'm completely alone. Blaise can't be with me as often as before. The Slytherins know I'm here now. Actually, I'm expecting Father to show up any second and demand to see me. I'm frightened of that too. No one crosses Father without punishment." Draco shuddered. "You need to wake up soon Rimu."

"She knows." Draco jumped. He hadn't heard Zinnia and Severus enter. Ducking his head to hide the blush, he kept his eyes on Primula.

"Why is it taking so long?" Zinnia murmured as she settled on the other side of the bed, smoothing the fresh sheets. "That's what you really want to tell her, isn't it?" Zinnia said and Draco nodded.

"It's selfish." Draco muttered. "So I don't say it."

"Even though Rimu is used to your selfishness?" Zinnia teased. Draco suddenly looked up at her, his face devoid of playfulness.

"That's just it." He said as he picked up the limp hand next to his own. "She's not. It's been four very long years. We don't know each other anymore. It's like meeting again for the first time. That's what it'll be like when she wakes up. We may know each other, recognize each other, share memories, but she's a different girl than the one I knew. I'm different too." Draco sighed.

He hadn't wanted to admit that. He hadn't wanted to say so aloud. But it was the truth.

A hand on his shoulder made him smile a little as he looked up at Severus. "You have a foundation to rebuild on. You will not be completely foreign to one another."

Draco nodded, holding Primula's hand and sighing quietly. He sincerely hoped that was the truth.

* * *

"She still not awake?" Potter asked as they walked to Potions.

"No. Severus says that now that her body has healed, her magical core has to recover. It was damaged during the fight." Draco explained, bowing his head and staring at the floor.

They entered the classroom and sat down and Draco finally took notice of the stares and glares he got from the Slytherin side. Last Monday he hadn't noticed but today he suddenly did. He sneered right back at the lot of them.

Blaise appeared then and sent a chilling smirk across the other side of the room before pulling Draco down into a seat beside him in the table furthest back. "Potter." Blaise said, making Draco turn to find Potter was waving off Weasley and Granger while sitting down beside him.

"Zabini." Potter replied with a small nod.

"Again?" Draco wondered. Potter had joined him and Blaise last week as well.

"Crazy, attention-seeking prat I may be, but that's been working in your favor lately Malfoy." Potter replied with a rather cheeky smirk. Draco allowed himself a quick glance skyward then sighed and nodded. It was true. Being in Potter's good graces meant people gave him a wide berth, as if insanity was contaigious. Considering a Slytherin was living in Gryffindor, maybe it was.

Halfway through their lesson, while waiting for their potions to boil, Potter turned to Draco then and gave him a long, serious look. "What?" Draco questioned when the examination went on for a few more seconds.

"Are you scared?" Potter asked in a soft voice. "That she might never wake up?"

Draco took a breath, counted to ten, calming the spasm of fear that jolted through his heart. "Sometimes." He replied.

"Huh...guess you are human after all, Malfoy. Who would have thought?" Potter said teasingly, making Draco scowl at him for a moment.

* * *

Primula could feel herself. Her body was a little sore. The air around her was pleasantly cool. And someone touched her every now and then.

But she couldn't open her eyes, or move her body, or speak. She could hear but the words were distorted and sounded like she was underwater, trying to listen to someone above her talking.

It was frustrating. At the same time, she was alive at least.

She felt kind of like her body was missing something. A certain piece. Like the key in a Muggle car. Without that something she just couldn't start.

And so she remained in her half-aware phase, getting more and more irritated that she just couldn't bloody wake up.

That is...until someone put something warm and round into her hand.

* * *

Draco wasn't sure how a month had passed but it was indeed the beginning of October. He grimaced. Time had just flown by. But Primula remained in that bed, lifeless and alive, but only just.

He looked over at the boxes of bone that held the Eyes, frowning. They pulsed constantly, emitting their magic into the air. He could sense they wanted to do something but couldn't figure out what. His own Eye would pulse in time with the other two, spreading a warmth through the room.

It happened without warning. His hand just stretched out and grasped one of the boxes. He grimaced but his hand continued to move, the fingers flicking the seal away and then lifting the lid.

The Basilisk Eyes glowed in the night, the amber shimmering and pulsing.

As if under a spell Draco could only watch as his hands picked up the amber orb, then took Primula's hand and set the orb into her palm, curling her fingers around it.

A sigh filled the room, but it did not come from Draco or Primula.

All at once the other box clattered to the ground and the Dragon Eye in Draco's pocket burned a hole through the material, making Draco yelp as it joined the pieces of the Prophet Eye.

His vision swam oddly as each Eye continued to pulse and release magic into the air. His head was heavy, his eyelid too.

_Something's...wrong... _He thought as he tried to get up from his seat and warn the guards. Something tripped him then and he fell onto the bed the pressure of the magic making it impossible for him to get up. He struggled to keep his eyes open.

* * *

Primula found herself staring at a sight she'd never thought she'd witness.

A basilsik, sixty feet long, with red on its head, was staring down at her. Its yellow eyes were trained right on her and she stared back, mesmerized, while at the same time realizing she was literally staring death in the face.

"Calm yourself little gypsy." The Basilisk said making Primula blink. "Haha, do you not recognize me?"

Primula frowned, then stretched her hands out to touch its scales. Her body relaxed immediately, making her gasp.

"You're the Basilisk Eye." She murmured after several long seconds. The serpent bobbed its head in a nod before curling around her.

"And you are the Priestess of the Eyes." The Basilisk said with a hiss. "You must awaken."

"I've been trying to." Primula told the king of serpents.

"You have not been trying hard enough." Turning, Primula found herself being glared at by a tall, dark-skinned, dark-haired man with piercing black eyes. Gulping, Primula immediately looked away from his face. She could feel his power from her spot and knew who he was without having to touch.

"Prophet." She murmured, still staring at her toes.

"Priestess." This voice was gravelly but wise sounding. To the side stood a terrifyingly large Ukrainian Ironbelly. The dragon chuckled and blinked its scarlet eyes.

"You're the Dragon." Primula said faintly.

The Dragon nodded patiently.

"What's going on here?" Primula wondered.

"We're trying to get you to wake up." The Prophet said in a sneering tone that had Primula wincing. Her hand moved to her stomach. The first time she'd used the Prophet Eye, the magic had nearly gutted her. Nearly. "Because you need to retrieve the Mermaid Eye."

"Why?" Primula argued, crossing her arms in spite of her fear of the Prophet. "It's perfectly safe where it is. There's absolutely no need to bring it out to the open where the Dark One may discover it. It's bad enough that the Dragon is close-by." Primula paused then, eyes widening as she turned to the Dragon who was chuckling. "You're nearby." She repeated.

"Indeed Priestess." The Dragon replied, his eyes dancing with mirth.

"But...but..."

The Prophet snorted. "Yes girl, yes. Your little Outsider friend is nearby as well. In fact, he is currently in the room with you."

Primula's jaw dropped and she suddenly ran a few steps away from them, halted, then looked around. Wherever they were, it was an empty space. White and endless. "I want to get out of here." She told the spirits.

"All in due time." The Basilisk said, slithering over to her and wrapping around her once more. "For the moment you must listen."

Huffing a little she sighed, giving in. What other choice did she have? She sat on the Basilisk and looked over at the Dragon and the Prophet. "Okay, I'm listening."

It was the Dragon who spoke. "Priestess, you need to retrieve the Mermaid Eye from wherever it is hidden and unite us all, so that we may repair the Prophet."

Primula winced as the Prophet let out something that sounded very mean, even if she couldn't understand the language.

"Dark times are ahead of you Priestess." The Dragon continued while the Basilisk decided to give her a bath with its tongue. She grimaced a little but paid attention to the Dragon. "You will need to use our powers again."

"Eh?" Primula exclaimed while pushing the serpent tongue away. "No."

"Why not?" The Dragon asked, its face patient. Primula flushed and looked away, twisting a bit of her hair around her fingers. "Do you fear us?"

"Yes." Primula whispered shamefully, her eyes on the ground. "I fear the Prophet most of all. This is twice that I've used his power, and twice he's nearly killed me."

The Prophet scoffed as the Basilisk hissed at him. "There is always a price to be paid when using the Eyes of the Iamar."

"I know that!" Primula suddenly shouted. "And I'd be willing to pay whatever price I need to in order to continue using your power to protect my loved ones! But really do you need to keep almost killing me!"

The Prophet studied her as she was nuzzled by the giant serpent. He smirked after an infinite amount of time.

"Perhaps you are not so hopeless." He said making Primula want to hit him. Her palms itched to hit something but she kept that desire to herself.

"Priestess," the Basilisk hissed now, "we need the Mermaid. She will be necessary."

"Necessary for what?"

"The end." The Basilisk replied simply. "You see...there is a fifth Eye. One greater than any of us. Only with our combined powers will this Eye be destroyed, as it should be."

Primula stared at the spirits for a long, long time. At last she let out a shocked, "What?"

"A fifth Eye, created after us original four." The Prophet said and his voice took on a sort of hypnotizing quality which made Primula listen. "We have never been in contact with this fifth Eye, for it rested in a place of utter seclusion, kept there by the Priests and Priestesses before you. The fifth was never meant to be known to future generation, only to the current possesser of the original Eyes." The Prophet met her eyes then and Primula's vision was filled with a horrible figure that had her screaming. The Prophet blinked and the vision cleared.

"What...what was that-that-that thing!" Primula asked when her breath had returned to her.

"A twisted being. A filthy soul. That is what is locked within the fifth Eye." The Dragon explained. Primula shook a little. "That creature was sealed away in an Eye to prevent it from ever wreaking havoc on the mortal world."

"But someone found out about it. Someone other than the Priests and Priestesses charged with our care." The Basilisk curled around her more securely. "The Eye has been found, removed from its eternal resting place. It has been awoken."

Primula's eyes widened. "No..."

"That is why you must find the Mermaid Eye, so that we may repair the Prophet, and then..." The Basilisk trailed off, looking over at the other two. "Then we must all together work and seal it into a more powerless form. We must remove that thing from the mortal hands that hold it now.

Primula was afraid to ask, but she knew she'd have to.

"Who has it? Do you know?"

It was the Prophet who answered.

"We sensed it during the battle on the Isle." Primula's stomach clenched. "The possessor of the fifth Eye is the Selino Prince, Zafiro."

"Gods..." Primula breathed as she turned her face upward to stare at the endless whiteness.

"That is how he and some of his warriors managed to survive." The Prophet continued. "They used the power of the fifth Eye to counteract my power and the power of the Basilisk. Otherwise, none would have survived our onslaught."

"I feel sick." Primula groaned, curling up into a ball.

"You will feel worse if the Selino continue to use the fifth Eye." The Prophet snapped.

Primula nodded, uncurling and swallowing the bile in her throat. "Okay...so I kinda need to wake up now."

"Yes you do." The Dragon, Basilisk and Prophet said in unison. Suddenly the white world vanished and Primula felt her consciousness return to her body. She could hear shouts and feel people around her.

Slowly she cracked opened her eyes.

Draco watched as Zinnia and Severus struggled for several long minutes to remove him and the Basilisk Eye from Primula's bed. Neither would be moved. The orbs were emitting great waves of power that soon sent even Zinnia and Severus to their knees.

The suffocating power vanished suddenly and Draco sucked in a greedy breath, pushing himself up to his elbows in time to see Primula's eyes fluttering wildly under her eyelids. Severus and Zinnia were demanding an explanation but Draco could only watch as Primula's eyes squeezed tight then slowly opened.

It was dark, wherever she was, Primula noted. A slice of moon could be seen through the window. She looked over to the side and saw her aunt and a strange man both gaping at her. A motion on her other side made her turn her head. Her eyes widened and her mouth became an O of surprise.

"Draco?" She asked. There was a young man by her beside who did indeed look like the young Draco. Pale hair, pale skin, gray eyes, sharp features. That looked very like her dear friend Draco. But this person here wasn't a young boy anymore. He was growing into a man and the surprise of it had her blushing.

Draco couldn't believe it. He found himself staring into dark blue eyes that he'd feared he'd never see again. Those eyes looked over every inch of his face. He was mesmerized. Then, across the tanned cheeks, spread a flush of color. He snapped out of his disbelief and grinned. Taking her hand he felt as if his chest were swelling with happiness.

"Rimu." He replied, holding her hand to his chest. Severus and Zinnia had run to the door, calling for the Healers and the headmaster. Draco and Primula didn't care.

Primula's lips quirked up into a familiar smile and she twitched the fingers in Draco's grasp.

"Hello Draco." She said cheerfully.

"Hello Rimu." Draco replied. They grinned at each other for a second before Draco added, "I've been waiting to see you."

Primula blinked then beamed at him. "I've been waiting to see you too." She twisted her hand in his grasp and squeezed. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

Draco chuckled. "It took me a while too, so I guess I need to say sorry as well."

They laughed then as the Healers and headmaster entered. And the grins didn't leave their faces even as Draco was ordered to leave the room.

* * *

Draco wasn't one for revealing his emotions to the world. In spite of the differences in their thinking, he was a Malfoy just like his father. And Malfoys had dignity and never showed their emotions, lest they give some enemy the impression that a Malfoy was weak.

Still, he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he went to classes the following day and at mealtimes. Blaise finally asked during Arithmancy what had the blonde in such a good mood.

"Rimu's awake Blaise! She woke up last night. Still not sure how but that doesn't matter! She's awake!" Draco replied happily, his eyes sparkling. Blaise smirked, not used to seeing the blonde so emotional. "She ought to be all better by the time classes are over. I hope so. We have so much to talk about."

"Haha, I'm glad for you then." Blaise stated and Draco continued to grin as they went back to work copying the notes their teacher was putting on the blackboard.

As soon as the last bell rang Draco bolted for the door. He raced up the stairs and to the room where Primula was kept.

She was still there, and looking much better than she had since he arrived at the beginning of September. The lamps were all lit and she was sitting propped up against pillows, a large square of parchment laying open on her lap. At the sound of the door clicking shut she looked up and smiled widely.

"Draco." She said and she began trying to climb out of bed. Draco hurried to her side and pushed her firmly back into her pillows. The girl pouted.

"Rimu are you daft? Stay in bed, you're still recovering."

Primula snorted softly. "It's just exhuastion at this point." But she allowed herself to be tucked into her bed once more. "Have you had dinner yet?" She wondered then. Draco shook his head.

"I'll get Itol to bring us some." Draco said. Primula smiled.

"Itol's here?"

"Yeah...it's a long story actually." Draco replied while snapping his fingers. Itol appeared then, bowing and then grinning himself as he spotted the girl on the bed.

"Master Draco! Miss Primula! What can Itol be doing for you?" Itol asked while bowing again.

"Dinner would be nice Itol." Draco replied.

"Don't worry about me. Mr. Snape said he was bringing mine in." Primula said to the elf whose ears wagged happily. "More importantly, how have things been Itol?"

"Itol did his best Miss Primula." Itol squeaked.

"Hehe. I knew you were the elf for the job." Primula replied making Itol nearly bounce with joy. "Make sure you keep taking good care of your master." Itol nodded, disappearing to fetch dinner for said master. "Now then, you said you had a long story to tell me." Primula said to Draco, her blue eyes shimmering. "I expect lots of details if that's the case."

Draco chuckled as he settled on the bed. "You never change do you? Stories always have to have details with you."

Primula laughed for a second then sighed and shut her eyes. "I'm afraid I have changed Draco. But then again so have you."

He knew it was true but having her speak the words aloud made the air around them suddenly awkward. He looked away and stared at the orbs sitting on the bedside table. Amber, carnelian, onyx.

"Just because we're changed, does that mean we can't be like we used to?" Draco asked softly, still staring at the Eyes. "Can't we be as close as before? Can't we get to know what's different about each other?"

"Do you want to?" Primula's voice was hopeful and yet careful, which made Draco's brow furrow as he turned to look at her.

"Why wouldn't I want to Rimu?"

The girl fidgetted with her blanket before looking up at him and murmuring, "I...I was scared. Scared that you wouldn't like me as much as before. I was scared and sad because I still liked you just as much..." Primula looked up to find Draco staring intently at her.

"Rimu..." Draco leaned forward to touch her cheek. "Rimu, how could I ever not like you?" He wondered and Primula smiled. He smiled in return.

Just like that, the fear that he had changed too much, that he wouldn't see her like he had before, it all melted away.

"Okay little niece-" Zinnia's voice broke the moment and both teens turned to find Zinnia holding the door open for Severus. The two adults looked down at the two teens. The blonde and brunette shared a look before laughing.

"Look's like we interrupted a nice moment." Zinnia said to Severus in a stage whisper. Both teens rolled their eyes.

"Aunt! Be nice!" Primula whined making Draco smirk.

"I am being nice! I merely said we interrupted a moment." Zinnia huffed, walking over to the other side while Severus approached her and set a tray with a light soup and several potions on the girl's lap.

"Yes but the way you said it..." Primula argued making Zinnia laugh. Draco watched them while Severus stood beside him. He looked up and noticed his mentor eyeing the young gypsy woman with an odd look. A snicker passed his lips. When Severus turned down to look, Draco was already facing Primula again.

"Eat first then take your potions." Severus said to the gypsy girl. Primula nodded, taking her spoon up as Itol appeared bearing a tray with a steak, potatoes, mixed vegetables and a goblet of pumpkin juice.

"We should leave them alone to catch up Mr. Snape." Zinnia said then, bustling over and grabbing Severus's sleeve. The professor was sufficently startled that Zinnia managed to pull him all the way to the door before he snapped out of it. "If you need us, just send the house-elf to find us." Zinnia said before pushing Severus out the door and shutting it behind her.

"Is it just me," Primula asked while eyeing the door, "or is there something going on there?"

"Merlin if I know." Draco replied. "I've been paying more attention to you."

The words made Primula smile sweetly. "Hey slacker, you said you had a story!" Primula said after a minute of silence. Draco laughed and began his tale. It was sort of like old times. Sort of. That was good enough for Draco and Primula.

* * *

**_And that's a wrap for now. Hope you're enjoying this so far. Next time: Primula is introduced to Hogwarts. And Draco finally hears from his father... _**


	8. Blood for Blood

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~A Madder Red Sky~

J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.

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* * *

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Chapter Eight: Blood for Blood

DM

"The Eyes are in the possession of the young Priestess." Zafiro said, his eyes narrowed. He was not used to bowing to anyone, let along this man with the snake-like face. But he was a necessary evil.

For the moment.

"And unfortunately, the Old One has taken her and her people under his protection." Zafiro continued on. "We cannot penetrate the defenses surrounding the school. The Old One's powers are great."

"So Dumbledore is shielding them." Voldemort hissed, rubbing Nagini's scaly head. "Keeping that wonderful power locked away in his castle..."

"But the Priestess is a child of the world." Zafiro murmured. "She will soon tire of his protection. She will demand freedom. And that is when she will be caught."

"Are you certain?"

Zafiro's smirk was full of all the promise Voldemort needed.

"Good. Now go."

The dismissal bit at Zafiro's pride but he merely bowed and left the room. He truly had no wish to associate with the Dark One's pet minions. Zafiro sneered as he passed a few on his way to the Apparition point. How he hated these high and mighty Outsiders. Those who lived in the world as if they owned it. His arrogance was vast true, but these wizards did absolutely nothing for the world which had sustained them.

He would be rid of them all soon. Once he could capture the Priestess of the Eyes, convert her to his side, and have her use the power of the Eyes against all these fools.

His thigh grew chilly then and he dug out the Demon Eye that lingered there. Made of tanzanite, cold to the touch, Zafiro had been possessed by its allure the moment he had unearthed it. The Demon Eye had whispered to him, promised him great power. If only he would free it from its confines.

He'd hesitated for only a minute, swayed by the stories of his ancestors, until the Eye had promised him greatness and he'd felt compelled to snatch it away.

He knew to be truly powerful, he needed the rest of the set. The other four, the original four.

To get to them, he needed the Priestess. To get the Priestess he needed the Dark One's help.

But once the old snake's usefulness ran dry, he would offer up the Dark One's magic to the Demon Orb.

Smirking, he disappeared from the Dark One's hideaway.

* * *

Primula picked up her quill and stared at the map on her lap. Her diary lay beside her. She was forced into continued bedrest. Her healers had patiently explained that although she felt fine, her magical core was still recovering and the magic floating all around Hogwarts would be bad for her recovery.

So she was stuck in bed, looking forward to the chiming of the dinner bells, which would mean Draco would come to visit. It had been a week since she'd awoken and they'd spoken every day since then. She'd heard about what had gone on in his last four years and shared her own stories.

At the moment though it was midafternoon, meaning she still had a few hours to go. Hours which she used to start planning out her journey. She had not forgotten about her conversation with the Eyes. The Prophet, Dragon, and Basilisk sat on her bedside table, in boxes of bone, and every now and then they'd send out a pulse of power. They were eager to get to work. To fight and defeat that terrible evil locked up in what Primula was calling the Demon Eye. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could still picture that monster that the Prophet had shown her.

Primula sighed and rubbed at her face. If she knew the layout of the castle, she could probably devise an exit strategy. As it was now, she would have to wait until she was considered "healthy" by her medics.

Looking down at the map, she tapped the blue X she'd placed on it years ago. The map detailed a part of Scotland that she had visited with her aunt, back when Aviyam still didn't have complete control of the caravan and they could get away with such outings. Draco had told her that Hogwarts was located in Scotland, which worked out very serendipitiously for her.

Growing frustrated with her useless planning, she put everything into the desk of the bedside table and scowled out at the sunshine pouring into her room. She hated being cooped up like this. She was a gypsy, not a normal person. She was not born under a roof and kept within a room. She had been born under a starry sky, under a full moon, and kept in a tent only when it got cool. She had walked around, bare as the day of her birth, in the woods until she was two. She'd spent more time working with the power of the earth than most people ever would.

And she was irreparably broken. She knew that. Her very own magic could kill her if she used too much at once. It was not something that bedrest could ever heal. Primula just didn't have the heart to tell her aunt and those working to heal her.

Primula couldn't even bring herself to tell Draco.

Scowling once more, she pulled herself out of bed. Her body protested. She ignored the aches and the cracks of bones that hadn't moved in over a month. Her body was healed, her core never would be, she would have to convince everyone of that. Seeing her satchel she slowly walked towards it and dug out fresh clothes. Spotting a bathroom she made her way there.

After forty minutes-she'd decided to soak her tired body in a hot bath-she reentered her room wearing another bedlah style outfit, this one with pants instead of a skirt, in shades of green. She reminded herself of that Muggle story princess as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

With a happy sigh at being fresh and clean, she grabbed her wand, smiling faintly as blue sparks emitted from the wood. Quietly she made her way to the door, opening it as slowly as she could. The corridor was empty at the moment. It was probably a guard change. She hurried from her room, backtracking in time to close the door. She hurried down the hallway, pausing and hiding at the corner. She saw some Iamar guards setting up at her door, not even bothering to open the door to check on her. She'd have to tell Aviyam about that...eventually.

Speaking of her brother...

Primula was surprised Aviyam hadn't appeared yet. Aunt Zinnia had said he was hunting down the Selino. He'd sent her a little note the day after she'd woken up but not since.

"I have to warn him about that other Eye." Primula told herself as she walked down the next hallway, staring out the windows. She smiled as she looked over the grounds of Hogwarts. She could see some of the lake Draco had told her about, and the forest. It looked like a paradise here. She could feel the magic, practically taste it in the air. It was a lovely thing.

Her spirits only grew as she continued on her way. The castle turned out to be a great maze of staircases, hallways, doors that weren't doors, windows that moved, portraits that talked, and suits of armor that saluted her as she passed. She hadn't thought there could be a man-made place like this before.

As she entered a more public part of the castle, Primula noticed the students in their heavy clothing, smiling in wonder as she caught peeks of classes. She giggled as a younger boy caught sight of her and pointed her out to his friends.

With every step she felt her strength returning. Her magical core was enjoying the free magic floating about the castle it seemed. She hopped down a set of stairs, gasping as it began to move. Clutching at the railing, she laughed as the stairs moved down about two floors then attached itself to a landing.

"Amazing." She giggled as she continued on.

From there she began to find herself getting lost. Not so hard in this place, she decided. Unlike most people though, finding herself lost in an enchanted castle didn't cause Primula any stress. She enjoyed the places she discovered. The sheer size of the library had her reeling and she'd browsed through the collection of books before moving on. She'd gotten a peek at the infirmary then suddenly found herself outside a tower door, watching some older students answer riddles to enter.

A quick drop down and she'd been listening in on a History lecture, finding herself nearly asleep on her feet by the man's voice. She'd moved on before he caused her to fall unconscious and ended up watching a Charms class.

A bell rang somewhere and she found the hallway she was walking in flooded with students. They all seemed to be heading to one place and so, curious, she followed along.

The place they were all heading to was a large hall, where five tables rested. This must have been the Great Hall then. Judging from the sky, it was also dinnertime.

"Ohh... They'll know I'm gone now." Primula murmured before shrugging to herself. She slowly made her way inside the hall, looking around for any familiar face. It was then that her attention was caught by the ceiling above. Draco had told her about the enchanted ceiling but seeing it was much more impressive. Primula didn't know how long she stood there, gawking up at the stars and moon she could see, feeling much more herself than she had in a while, before a hand clamped onto her shoulders. She yelped, turning around to find Draco.

"Rimu!" Draco scolded as he eyed her all over. "What're you doing out of bed?"

"Exploring." Primula replied, making Draco's scowl twitch into a smirk.

"Of course you are." He scoffed, grabbing her by the elbow and dragging her to a table on the far right. "You're making a spectacle of yourself you know. Everyone can't help but ogle the gypsy girl." Draco grumped. Primula laughed then, hooking her arm with his.

"Jealous of the attention I'm getting?" She asked teasingly. He was about to reply when he realized he wasn't jealous, he was irritated. Not at Rimu but at everyone goggling at Rimu. He scowled at everyone he could while Primula added, "You always had to have the spotlight, didn't you?" She grinned as he rolled his eyes and made her sit down. Her guards rose to give her a bow and she returned it.

"We are glad to see you recovered, Priestess." One of her guards said making her smile.

"It is good to be out of that darned bed. I am completely exhuasted of being in that bed."

Her guards and Draco laughed while Primula continued looking around. "It truly is beautiful Draco." She murmured then. Draco smirked.

"I told you so." He teased, making Primula stick her tongue out at him.

They had just begun eating when out of the inky night came an inky black owl. Draco froze as his eyes followed it, where it fluttered first over the Slytherin table then directly towards him.

The owl dropped a letter into his lap and swooped away.

Everyone was looking at Draco now, watching as he slowly picked up the letter.

Primula stared at her blonde friend who was gulping now, his hands shaking a little. "Who is it from?" She asked, having a very bad feeling she knew the answer.

"Father." Draco whispered, opening the letter at last and pulling out the thick parchment embossed with the Malfoy crest on the back.

_Draco, _

_I have learned you are safely esconsced within Hogwarts, attending classes and the like. I have also heard you are with the gypsies. _

_I will be coming to collect you two days hence. You have much explaining to do. _

_Your Father_

Those two small lines assured his doom. Draco gulped again, letting the letter fall onto the tabletop.

Two days. _Two days_.

Primula picked up the parchment, her blue eyes narrowing with each word. She was tempted to burn the damn thing but then she got a better idea. "Take this to the Wise One." Primula told her guard, who took it and did as she bid. Then she turned to Draco and put a hand over his own. "Dragon." She said quietly.

Draco looked up at his nickname and saw Primula looking rather grave for a recently recovered girl. "Don't you go getting tangled up in this Rimu." Draco ordered, standing up to glare down at her. It had worked before, when they were younger and he was just an inch taller than her. Now he had about half a foot on her and enough practice at intimidation to really glare right through her.

The thing was, Primula also had a few years of bossing people around under her belt. As Draco had said, she was like a princess. She met his piercing glare with one of her own.

"I'll do what I like Draco. And if that means facing your dad, then I'll do so with relish." Primula suddenly let a grim smile onto her face. "I have yet to get my revenge for my mother, Dragon." She added in a whisper. Draco stilled at the truth in those words. "Would you deny me this chance?"

For a second, Draco faltered. He recalled his own words to the Gryffindors about gypsy revenge. He thought of his parents and dug out the most treasured memories he had.

Then he remembered Pallas. Pallas, who had cuddled him under the stars and taught him about the ways of the gypsy. Pallas, who had given her life to protect his. Pallas, who haunted him still.

"I won't kill him." Primula said then, making him look at her. She was frowning at her goblet. "I can't." She added in a quiet whisper. "But he can suffer."

"He can suffer." Draco thought, resolve hardening as he reminded himself why he'd left behind his entire life. A chance, he'd told the Gryffindors. He wanted a chance.

Primula nodded, pulling Draco back into his seat as three Gryffindors arrived.

"Hey Malfoy." One of the boys said as they sat down.

"Hey Potter." Draco replied. He turned to Primula then, a smile on his face. The boy called Potter turned to her and she saw his bright green eyes widen...then she spotted the scar.

"Lightning..." She whispered as she felt her own eyes widen. "The Lightning Child." She said then, bowing her head to the boy. The gypsy guards turned at her words then did the same.

"Er..." Looking back up, Primula saw the boy was blushing. Draco was grinnning and the other two were looking on in surprise.

"Even amongst us gypsies you are well known, Lightning One." Primula explained. "The Dark One's folly."

"You have to love how poetic they are." Draco said to the blushing boy then, chuckling. His earlier worry was smoothly hidden. Even Primula had trouble detecting it on his face or in his eye.

"Right." Potter replied, turning to Primula. "You must be Draco's friend. I'm Harry Potter." He held out his hand. Primula took it with a smile.

"Yes. Primula Moon." Primula replied.

"Priestess of the Eyes." One of her guards added while she scrunched her nose at the title.

"That too." She agreed, making Potter relax a little.

"These are my friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley." Potter introduced the as yet silent duo sitting on either side of him.

"A pleasure." Primula said to them.

"It is very nice to meet you." Granger burst out then, shaking her hand with a bit of excessive force. "Malfoy's told us a lot about you. It's so good to see you're finally feeling better."

The red-haired Weasley merely nodded, making Primula think he was one of those Outsiders who grew up with all the old stories about gypsies fed into his brain.

"It is good to walk about again. I needed it." Primula replied, making Granger grin. She looked at Draco then who snorted softly.

"She's always like that when she finds something new to examine." Draco told her. "Granger's one of those studious, has-to-know-everything types."

"Oi." Weasley growled warningly while Granger just turned a little pink. Potter was shaking his head, though a smile twitched his lips.

"I am happy to see a witch who desires to learn more about the gypsy." Primula promised, making Granger beam.

The rest of dinner was spent mostly with Granger asking every question she could think of, sometimes with some coming from Potter, and Draco and Primula answering them.

As they headed towards Gryffindor Tower, Snape appeared out of the shadows. "Come with me Draco." He said softly. Draco nodded, turning at once to follow the man. Primula went with him too. They were taken to a classroom on the third floor, where Zinnia, and Dumbledore were already waiting.

"Little Dragon." Zinnia cooed the moment he entered, striding forward to engulf him in a warm hug. Draco stiffened for a moment before relaxing and hugging her back. He needed a hug, he realized then. Zinnia pulled away to turn to her niece who smiled as Zinnia took her hand. She took the two teenagers to a desk and together the three sat down, facing the two professors.

"Unfortunately there is nothing to stop your father from coming to see you." Dumbledore began, making Draco's stomach clench. "Nothing to stop him from taking you out of the school either. You have no other legal guardians who could speak for you on your behalf or contest Lucius's wishes."

"So that's it then?" Draco asked in the silence that followed.

"Of course not." Severus scoffed, taking a step forward to force Draco to meet his gaze. "We have an idea." Severus's eyes flickered to Zinnia. "It involves gypsy magic."

"What is it? I'll do anything." Draco was earnest. He would do anything to make certain he would never be ruled by Lucius ever again.

"Primula." Zinnia said then. "The ones with the greatest claim to a blood price from the Malfoys are you and Aviyam." Zinnia's eyes shined then. "Outsiders may not acknowledge our laws, but they cannot deny our magic."

"But..." Primula frowned, trying to decipher what her aunt was getting at.

"Remember there is more than one way for a blood price to be repaid." Zinnia murmured then. Primula thought it out a second longer before she gasped, eyes widening with the sudden clarity.

"What is it?" Draco wondered, looking from one gypsy to the other. Primula smiled as she nodded.

"I understand now. I know what to do." Looking at Draco, Primula beamed. "There's nothing to fear Dragon. I am the Priestess of the Iamar after all."

And although he had no clue what the gypsies or the professors were all smiling about, he contented himself with the fact that Primula was smiling, which had to be good.

"Alright. I trust you." He declared.

* * *

The next two days passed much too quickly for Draco. He was a mass of nerves by that Friday evening, his heart hammering. Blaise had left the Slytherin table to join him at the Gryffindor one along with Primula. The two had remembered each other and were now getting along as well as they had in the days before. Their easy banter helped that evening as Draco awaited his father's summons.

"I'll be right back." Primula said suddenly, her blue eyes narrowed as she rose from her seat.

"Feeling alright?" Blaise wondered. Primula nodded, flashing them a smile.

"Don't worry. I'm fine." She touched Draco's hand before leaving, the gesture a small comfort as she left.

After ten minutes had passed, Draco was beginning to worry. Maybe Primula was sick. He ought to go looking for her. He was about to when he spotted movement at the doors. "Finally." He murmured, turning to get a better look and ready to give Rimu a piece of his mind.

Instead, he suddenly found the Great Hall hushing as Lucius Malfoy entered along with two Aurors. Cursing his luck, Draco watched his father stride right up to the Head's table and look down at Dumbledore, who was grinning beningly.

"Dumbledore," Lucius said coolly, "I have come to collect my son, whom you have been hiding from me. He will be coming home with me tonight."

Dumbledore continued to smile beningly as Lucius turned, surveying the hall with swift, cold eyes. "Draco." He said upon spotting the head of blonde at the Gryffindor table. "Come here." He ordered.

Draco gulped as he got up from his seat. He walked slowly, carefully, towards his father. He would not tremble and would not look for aid from anyone. It looked like whatever they had planned, hadn't worked.

"Blood for blood." The voice was crisp in the silence that had descended as Draco had begun to walk towards Lucius. All eyes went to the entrance hall where Primula stood, dressed in red and white robes, her face covered in some glittering substance. Her wand was in her hand but it hung loosely at her side, while in the other she held a very familiar red orb. "These words have been spoken countless times Lucius Malfoy. They have been spoken to gain repayment for the lives stolen from the gypsy caravans across the world."

Primula stopped in the middle of the aisle, between Lucius and the door. "Your actions took my mother from me. Stole her, in her young age, and in mine." Primula's eyes flashed as she looked at Lucius head-on. "So now I am going to repay you Lucius Malfoy. By taking something of yours for my own."

"What nonsense do you speak girl?" Lucius asked then, eyes flickering between Draco and Primula.

"Not nonsense." Primula replied lightly. She turned to Draco then. "Blood for blood. Eye for eye. You have taken what is mine." The Dragon Eye began to glow red-hot, yet Primula didn't seem to feel anything as she maintained her gaze on Draco. From her wand a ribbon of deep red had escaped, making its way lazily towards Lucius and Draco. "Your blood for hers. I will take yours as mine." The ribbon struck Lucius then, making a splash of crimson appear on his silvery robes. The ribbon wrapped around the cut then shot out and wrapped around Draco's neck. The Dragon Eye released a mist as it continued to be held in Primula's hand. "Blood for blood. Eye for eye. Your blood is now mine."

The mist from the Dragon eye seeped into the ribbon, which was still connected to Primula's wand. The ribbon glowed fiery red then Draco felt a tug. He was forcefully Apparated then from Lucius's side to Primula's. The Dragon Eye released another hazy mist. Primula stood firm as the ribbon vanished with a sound like breaking glass and the Eye returned to its dormant state.

"Magic." Primula said quietly as she took Draco's hand. "Nothing can overrule it. Draco's life is now mine. You hold no sway over him. No claim. For your blood is now mine." Primula held her head up as the Aurors hovered, indecisive as Lucius Malfoy blinked slowly.

"You cannot- You are nothing but a gypsy child." Lucius growled. Primula laughed.

"I am the Priestess of the Iamar, Outsider." Primula spat back at him, her blue eyes dancing with delight. Her revenge was complete and her friend was saved. She couldn't be happier at the moment. "To you those words mean nothing. But Draco always was smarter than you, always could comprehend magic you denied."

Draco smirked as he took a deep breath. "Whether it is gypsy magic or not, it is still magic. I do not have to obey you any longer." Draco said to his father. "I am bound to Rimu and the Iamar now. You took Pallas from her. Now she has taken me from you." Draco's smirk became cruel. "A fair exchange, I daresay."

"I will not be frightened by a gypsy's cheap tricks." Lucius snarled then, stalking forward and grasping Draco's wrist. "We are-" Lucius stopped midword to cry out, throwing Draco aside as he stood back, his skin red and sizzling.

"Didn't you listen Father? Rimu said it very clearly. Your blood is now hers. Meaning you cannot touch me. None can touch me if their intent is to return me to you." Draco could feel his blood pounding wildly in his ears, feel his heart jumping in his chest as Lucius attempted to smack him and found the pain transfered back to himself, doubled in intensity. Draco merely took a step back to let him fall to his knees.

Primula watched Lucius with a wild light in her eye. "My revenge is complete." She nodded, turning to stare up at the enchanted ceiling. "My mother's spirit can truly be at peace now." She expelled a sigh that seemed to release every sorrow she'd ever held on to. "Leave now Lucius Malfoy. This castle and all its inhabitants are under my protection, under the protection of the four caravans of the Nothern Alliance. You, who are our enemy, have no business here."

As she spoke those words a flash came from her wand and hit Lucius in the face. Draco watched, fascinated, as a red ring appeared around Lucius's neck. It was high enough that his robe collar couldn't hide it.

"The Mark of the Damned." Draco whispered, remembering that from a long-ago lesson with Pallas. "You have officially become free game for any of the Northern Alliance to blast into pieces Father. Be careful."

Primula lifted her wand then, making a slashing motion. Lucius disappeared from the Hall, most likely ending up somewhere else. The Aurors moved towards Primula then, intending to take her to the Minsitry.

Before they could get any closer, the Dragon Eye flashed back into conscienceness and surrounded Primula in its red haze. Draco too was covered in it.

When the haze faded, they were in Primula's room. Primula dropped the Dragon Eye and gasped, coughing, her body shuddering. Draco went to her side, knowing the use of the Eye was now exacting its own price.

"The Dragon likes me." Primula rasped as Draco helped her onto her bed. "And he likes you. He won't make this too painful."

Draco nodded, smiling as he shook his head. "You freed me from Father." He whispered as she shuddered again.

"And tied you to the Iamar." Primula huffed then, groaning as her stomach twisted in knots. Draco stared straight ahead, realizing that he was now a gypsy himself.

"That's not so bad." He murmured as Primula groaned and hurried into her bathroom. He grimaced as the door opened, admitting Severus and Zinnia. Zinnia hurried to her niece. Severus held Draco by the shoulders.

"Are you well?" He asked as Primula groaned.

"I'm great." Draco replied with a bright smile. Severus smirked in return, nodding as he moved to the bathroom as well, hand already digging in his pocket for a potion.

* * *

**_Omigosh, I can't believe it took me forever to reply to this. Please forgive and enjoy! _**


	9. Mermaid

**~A Madder Red Sky~**

J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Mermaid**

**DM**

Primula smiled at the letter from Aviyam. Whatever he was up to, he'd taken the time to write her a very long letter. Most of it was a rant about misusing the power of the Eyes and a lot of it was cursing the Malfoys to high heaven. But he said he was proud of how she took revenge for their mother, and that he would take great delight in finishing it if he ever ran into Lucius Malfoy.

He told her to take care.

"Are you sure you don't need anything?" Granger wondered.

"I'm alright. I'm used to this." Primula replied, coughing a little and relaxing into her pillows. "The Eyes were never supposed to be, therefore they have their revenge. But the Dragon likes me. It could have been worse." She turned to eye the box holding the fragments of the Prophet and touching her chest. The Dragon gave her one mother of a flu. The Prophet had damaged her core.

"Rimu?" Draco's voice had her looking over at him. He was looking pensive as he studied something... The map! His eyes were narrow by the time he looked up at her, mouth set grimly. "Care to tell me about this?" He asked then.

"You know, technically, I'm your priestess." Primula replied. "Meaning I don't have to tell you anything."

Weasley and Potter looked at her curiously while Draco bared his teeth. "Bullshit." He replied, making her smile.

Primula let her eyes slide over the three Gryffindors, before returning her gaze to Draco. He frowned then smirked and turned to the lions.

"Go away." He said without hesitation.

"Wait." Primula said, locking eyes with Potter. "The Lightning One may stay. It will be to his benefit."

"If Harry stay, we're staying." Weasley huffed, puffing out his chest and glaring at Primula.

Potter looked at his friend then turned to Primula. "I always tell them everything, anyway. Can't they stay?"

Primula mulled this over then nodded and sighed. "Perhaps it would be best. It is just that I have guarded this secret for so long..." She waited until they were all comfortable. "I believe the best place to begin is at the beginning."

She pulled the three boxes from the bedside table and set them on her bed. Then she opened them, one by one, revealing the Dragon, the Prophet, and the Basilisk to the Gryffindors curious stares.

"These are the Eyes of the Iamar. Draco and I dubbed them the Eyes That Cannot See. A misnomer really, considering they are sentient and have witnessed much in their long history." Primula explained. "They were named after the spirit which is bound within the stone."

"There are in actuality five Eyes." Primula said then, and Draco turned to her with shock crossing his features. "I only learned about the fifth a short while ago."

"You see, the first four were created many centuries ago. The ancient Iamar found a way to strip a being of their essence, their spirit, and bind it within certain stones. Their reasons for binding these beings varied. The Basilisk was bound because the Iamar were at his mercy. The Dragon's power was coveted by the Iamar and so stolen. The Prophet was a great Seer, and the Iamar sought to hold the power of the future in their hands."

"The fourth Eye is called the Mermaid Eye. It holds the spirit of a powerful siren, who held great sway over the ocean. The Iamar had pissed her off at the time and she made certain they suffered heavy losses before they bound her spirit within the Eye."

Primula turned to Draco then and smiled. "For generations after their creation, the Eyes were passed on from priest to priestess, so on and so forth, until the day they reached me." Primula looked at the Gryffindors then. "Unlike my predecessors, I felt uneasy with all the Eyes in my charge. I was a child, but a child who could sense the magic of the objects entrusted to me. I was afraid of them. So I decided to scatter the power. I gave Draco the Dragon Eye but still felt uneasy. After the Wiltshire Incident, once I had healed, I choose to hide the Mermaid Eye as well."

"I kept only the Prophet and the Basilisk, for I did not trust the power of the Prophet and I had always felt in tune with the Basilisk out of all the Eyes." Primula sighed heavily.

"You said there's a fifth Eye?" Draco prompted when she remained silent for an awkward amount of time.

"Yes. It became known to me shortly before I awoke." Primula said to him. "The other Eyes spoke to me, and told me that I must make the set complete, so the Eyes can heal the Prophet. Because the fifth Eye, the Demon Eye, can only be defeated with the power of the original four." Primula shuddered then, one hand flying up to cover her eyes.

"So terrible... Twisted... I... I was terrified..." Primula lowered her hand to find both hands trembling. "It's the most vile existence I have ever witnessed, Dragon. So cold... So dark..."

Draco took Primula's trembling hands in his own, squeezing them as Primula calmed herself.

"The reason I am telling you this, Lightning One," she turned to Harry who was a little awestruck, "is because the fifth Eye is currently in the possession of one of our enemy caravans. The Selino Prince to be exact. And the Selino are aiding the Dark One."

"Dark One?" Potter repeated, his eyes narrowing then widening. "Do you mean Voldemort?"

"Yes. Voldemort. The Dark One." Primula nodded. "The Selino have offered the Dark One the power of the Eyes. I am certain I have become a target, as I am the priestess of the Eyes. The Selino Prince is sure to have told the Dark One all about the Eyes, in exchange for whatever it is they have gained." Primula narrowed her eyes then. "He's up to something though, that Prince." She muttered softly. "Gypsies do not swear allegiance lightly. If Zafiro is working with Voldemort, then it is because he stands to gain something extremely valuable in return."

"You think that Selino Prince is using the Dark Lord?" Draco asked then, smirking when Primula nodded. "It would be just like a Selino to do so." He scoffed, glaring at the floor. Primula grinned for a second before becoming pensive again.

"You must be careful, Lightning One." Primula said, eyeing Harry's green eyes with a sort of plea. "The Demon Eye is powerful. The one who holds it, holds great darkness in his grasp. Your next encounter with the Dark One may become an excuse to use that darkness against you." She leaned forward then, to brush a finger down Harry's forehead. "But the light is with you, as it has always been. Darkness that deep can only destroy that which cannot fight back."

"I'll be careful." Harry said then. "Thanks for the heads up."

Primula nodded, leaning back in her bed with a sigh. "We gypsies believe you can defeat him. Your lightning against his darkness. What is night against lightning? Nothing. For especially on the darkest of nights, lightning illuminates everything." Primula's words had Harry blushing. Draco snickered at him.

"You said that you had hidden the Mermaid Eye." Granger brought up then, her brown eyes shrewd. "Where exactly is it hidden?"

Primula pushed the map towards her. "In a small lake, high in the moutains, a few miles from here. I placed many spells over it, to keep it from becoming lost. The problem is trying to find a way out of here without everyone freaking out." Primula stated, slumping into her pillows with a groan. "I need to get the Mermaid back in my grasp. Repair the Prophet. Destroy the Demon Eye."

"Well you're not doing it now." Draco admonished, pushing her deeper into her pillows. "You're going to rest and you're going to get better first. Then we can go gallavanting off on an adventure."

"We?" Primula wondered as Draco removed the map and Eyes and tugged the blankets over her.

"Yes we." Draco scoffed. "Like I'm letting you go off on your own, when I just got you back."

Primula felt herself blush then, for whatever reason. Luckily a coughing fit hit her and she managed to disguise it as a reaction to that. From the boys at least. Granger gave her a knowing look which she turned away from.

"Alright you lot, out. Rimu's got to sleep." Draco ordered. This time the Gryffindor girl took her friends by the sleeves and nodded.

"Yes, of course. Rest and get well soon Primula." Granger said, yanking her friends out the door. Primula was laughing as she waved goodbye. Draco nodded to the guards, who were much more friendly towards him now that he had been claimed an Iamar by their Priestess. He shut the door, walking back over to Primula's bedside. She was just taking her Dreamless Sleep and was snuggling into her mattress once more.

Draco was silent as the potion took hold of his friend and she slipped under with a soft smile. He smiled as well, tucking her in then moving to put the map back into the bedside drawer.

He stopped when he spotted a journal. Grinning a little at his find, Draco took the journal out and flipped it open randomly.

__

I'm sure of it now. The only problem is how to tell everyone else.

How do you tell your loved ones your magical core is broken? It's like admitting you've got only a set amount of time to live.

I can't do any great magic or else it will hurt me, possible kill me. Sometimes I'll get sick for no reason. Sometimes I'll just collapse. I know why, but how do I tell Avi and Aunt and our people that?

I don't know how to say I'm broken...that I could die.

Draco... How would I tell you? How would I say it? I'm damaged. My own magic, the thing that brought me to you, could very well end up killing me someday.

Or I could lose it forever, and lose all my ties to this world I know and love. I couldn't live like a Squib, not after knowing all this magic, not after holding it in my hands.

I'm scared Draco. I'm so scared. But I won't show it. Because then they'd have proof that something was wrong.

I just need to limit my magic right? Yeah. Limit it to small things. Try not to do too much. And if anyone starts to wonder why, I can always just say it might affect the Eyes in a bad way.

That would work. Outside the family, no one really knows how they work.

I just need to find a pace, find out my limit.

And someday I'll need to tell them. But not now. No, not now.

Draco gave a soft gasp, lifting his silver gaze from the words to rest on the sleeping gypsy beside him. Primula's core was broken. Her magic was like a ticking bomb. It could be set off by anything. If her core was broken, her magic was unstable, then who knew when or what could cause it to completely shatter.

Why hadn't she told anyone sooner? Why did she keep it bottled up?

"Rimu." Draco let the diary fall closed, glaring at the sleeping girl now. Primula sighed in her sleep, turning onto her side and snuggling deeper into her mattress.

He had to tell someone. Right now. He had to tell them, so that they would take care of Rimu. He hurried out of the room, rushing down to the dungeons. Severus, he'd tell the Potions Master. Because surely Severus had to have a way of saving his friend.

Draco was not going to lose Rimu after everything else he'd lost.

* * *

"A damaged magical core." Severus told Dumbledore, who was staring gravely out the window of his office. Severus had gone to Dumbledore right after Draco had informed him of Primula's condition. "Draco is beside himself. He fears he may lose her."

"That would be dangerous indeed, if the Eyes were to remain without a Priestess." Dumbledore murmured. Severus refrained from saying anything, like the fact that it wasn't the Eyes he was worried about. A girl could die and Dumbledore was of course fixated on the weapons she possessed rather than on the girl herself.

"Severus, speak with Zinnia. Ask her what would occur if Primula were unable to care for the eyes. Do not tell her about Primula's condition."

"Very well." Severus got up and privately thought he would sooner face Voldemort while proclaiming himself Light than keep a secret from Zinnia Moon.

He found the young woman sitting by Primula's bedside, singing softly under her breath.

_Smiling just because we can._

_There's never a need to try and explain when it's just us._

_Under a blue sky we play our games._

_It's an understanding we don't need to complicate with words._

_Look at the stars; there are the ones we'd count._

_Over there is the creek where we'd splash around._

_That place were we always met is still with me._

_And someday I plan to return to it._

"Forgive me the interruption." Severus said quietly. Zinnia's voice cut off and she turned to him, brown eyes blinking as she shook her head.

"Oh that's alright. She just went back to bed. Her fever's ebbing." Zinnia explained as Severus moved to stand beside her. "Draco was a little upset when I ran into him earlier. Is he alright?"

"No." Severus turned to stare at Zinnia. She was frowning, her eyes crinkled at the corners with her worry. "He is upset because of Primula."

"What happened? He told me she'd been fine all day." Zinnia was instantly contrite, her eyes raking over her little niece. Severus reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, causing Zinnia to look back at him.

"Zinnia... Primula's magical core is damaged." Severus just came right out and said it. No use in hiding the truth.

"What...?" Zinnia breathed out, her eyes growing wide as she stared at Severus.

"Draco discovered it in her journal. She wrote about it. Her magical core is damaged, perhaps beyond repair."

Zinnia couldn't seem to process that. She pulled away from Severus, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. She paced and Severus merely watched with dark eyes as she did so. At last she sank shakily back into the chair by Primula's bed. "I should have seen it. The signs were all there. I just wrote it off though. Oh dear gods..."

Severus placed his hand back on her shoulder and squeezed. "All is not lost Zinnia. Pull yourself together. Dumbledore knows. He wishes to know what would happen if for any reason Primula could not take charge of the Eyes."

Zinnia took a few deep breaths and then took Primula's hand in her own.

"If Primula couldn't take charge of the Eyes, they would go to Aviyam or to myself." Zinnia stated. Severus nodded, he'd thought as much. "But we're not meant to have them." Zinnia continued in a rough whisper. "The Eyes could very well choose to go dormant. Or worse."

"What could be worse?"

Zinnia gulped. "They could fall into the hands of the Selino prince. Primula says he has another Eye. The Eyes would go to him, because they are sentient enough to choose survival over loyalty."

That was worse. Way worse. Severus let out a sigh before he nodded. "We will find a way to keep your niece safe. Do not fear Zinnia."

Zinnia smiled at him warmly, catching his hand and nodding. "Thanks Severus. I get a little worked up when it comes to Primula."

"I understand." Severus promised as he motioned for Zinnia to follow him. "We will save her. You have my word."

"That makes me feel better." Zinnia gave a soft laugh at the disbeliving look he shot at her. "It does. You don't seem the type to go back on your word."

Severus felt his lips quirk up in a smirk. He would definitely not fail now.

* * *

Primula woke up to find Draco staring down at her with a smirk. He held a finger to his lips and Primula nodded, her eyes flickering around her bedroom. She'd been feeling much better that day and so she'd spent most of the day following Draco around to his lessons. The castle had been outfitted for Halloween and Primula had loved the decorations as well as the entertainment. Zinnia and the other gypsies had shared old gypsy tales that had left people shuddering long after they finished. The feast had filled her and she'd gone to bed happy as a kitten with cream.

Now looking around she saw she'd only been asleep an hour. It was eleven at night, with a harvest moon high in the sky. Yawning she sat up and quirked an eyebrow at Draco who was dressed up warmly.

"We're going to get the Mermaid." Draco whispered right aganist her ear. Primula didn't need more prompting than that. Within twenty minutes she was dressed in jeans and boots with a heavy sweater. Into her satchel she put her map, a compass, and the three Eyes that pulsed along with her excited heartbeat.

Draco stood at her window with a broom on his shoulder. When Primula showed him she was ready, he opened the window and motioned for her to get on the broom. "Hang on." Draco said and they quietly exited the room, flying towards the woods. They stayed in hidden among the branches and leaves before Primula directed Draco were to go. They had to head south for a bit then west.

"Why now?" Primula had to wonder as she dropped her chin onto his shoulder. She mused that she probably wouldn't be able to do so in another year. He was getting taller. Her little dragon wasn't so little anymore.

Draco for his part was seeing the words from her diary flashing before his eyes. "Because it's Halloween." He said in a playful tone. "Why not tonight?"

Primula laughed as she agreed. Tonight was rather perfect she supposed, for retrieving powerful and potentially deadly artifacts.

Draco followed her instructions until they found themselves entering a fog-filled little forest, which looked like something right out of a horror story. Primula strode in without worry though. She could tell there was nothing to fear out here.

"Let your magic reach out Draco." Primula instructed, her eyes shutting as she stretched out her arms, fingertips skimming the trunks of trees. "Feel it. There's nothing out here, is there?"

The blonde did as he was bid. He let his magic flow out a little, like Zinnia and the other gypsies had been teaching him. It went against what he'd learned before going to Hogwarts. But the gypsies believed and practiced free flowing magic. It was similiar to accidental magic. No wand necessary for preforming spells. Really wands were only used to guide the spell, not actually cast it.

Still it was a little tricky after years of being taught otherwise. But he managed to let out a wisp of magic. It fluttered around the trees before sinking into the ground. Primula was right. There was nothing to fear out here.

They walked hand in hand through the trees, coming out on the bank of a lake. It too had fog on its surface, which didn't look welcoming but Primula was already walking into the chilly waters. Draco yanked her back with a hiss. "You twit you'll get sick."

Primula stared at him for a second then shook her head. "Draco, only I know where I put it. I'll let Snape load me up with potions when we get home, okay?"

Draco frowned but Primula did have a point. He could be dragging the lake bed all night, even with Primula's guidance. She cast a Bubblehead charm and he cast several Warming charms on her then let her go under the surface.

It took about five minutes. When Primula resurfaced she was shivering a little and holding onto a wooden box covered in runes and tied with some odd shining string.

"Got it." She whispered making Draco hurry over to her, casting several more charms until she was dry and warm.

"Let's get out of here then. Before you catch your death." Draco huffed, his heart twinging painfully on the last word. Dying was not something he wanted to associate with his Rimu. No, not ever.

It was just as they were getting onto the broom that all hell broke loose. An almighty roar shook the trees and they turned their heads to find a dragon breaking through the trees. It wasn't any sort of dragon known to either teenager. This one was made of thick black smoke and had shining red eyes.

Primula let out a gasp as she felt all four of her Eyes reacting to their presence. "Get us out of here Draco!" She shouted over the dragon's roar. Draco didn't need more telling. He kicked off from the ground and they broke through the treetops as a blast of noxious-looking smoke blasted past them. Primula's heart raced into overdrive while Draco focused on getting them back to Hogwarts as quick as possible.

The smoke dragon wasn't going to make it easy though. It followed them with ease, sending out smoke every few seconds so that Draco was forced to spin or divert from the path back to the school.

Primula knew it had to be the work of the Demon Eye. It just had to be.

_Dammit. _She thought as they avoided yet another burst of smoke. Her eyes watered as Draco flew at top speed. _Not Draco. You can't hurt him. He doesn't have anything to do with this! _

The Mermaid Eye in her hand pulsed and Primula felt the box getting hot under her fingers. She looked down at it and saw the strings were burning off. The box popped open and the Eye flashed and shined. Without a pause Primula grasped it in her hand and gasped as an image of Hogwart's lake flashed before her eyes.

"Please!" She whimpered as Draco dodged another attack.

A flash of aqua light blinded both of them for long seconds.

They landed in Black Lake with a splash, spluttering and coughing when they broke the surface. The giant squid gave them a gentle push with one of its tentacles towards the edge.

Both flopped onto their backs on the bank, staring up at the starry sky and wondering what just happened. Primula turned to look at Draco just as he turned to look at her.

In between them in Primula's hand shined the Mermaid Eye.

"What was that thing?" Draco wondered as they continued to catch their breath.

"The Demon Eye. The Selino must be watching us." Primula deduced, her fingers clenching over the Mermaid. "I have to warn Avi and the other caravans."

Shouts and lights washed over them then and they struggled to sit up. They had a bit of explaining to do.

* * *

"Her magical core is truly battered. I've never seen a case like this before." The Healer said as he examined Primula, who was sleeping in the hospital wing. Draco was sitting on the edge of her bed. He was supposed to be sleeping too but he couldn't.

She'd been sleeping ever since their little Halloween escapade. She managed to tell the professors and her pissed-off aunt about what had happened before falling over in a deep sleep.

Draco figured it was the Mermaid Eye's price for saving their skins. He hated those Eyes. He hated them with everything he had in him. They'd torn apart Primula's magical core and could get her killed any second.

It just wasn't fair.

Picking up the Dragon Eye he stared at it for a long time while the Healer spoke with Severus and Zinnia. "If she dies, I'm going to throw each and every last one of you into the nearest active volcano. I don't care what happens to me then."

The Eye grew warm in his hold but Draco just set it back on its box, not caring about the stupid orb. What had possessed the old gypsies to make such horrible things in the first place? Weapons that hurt the weilder were just stupid.

The Healer moved out of the hospital wing along with the worried adults while Draco leaned back on his hands, looking over at Primula. "We're finally together again and I can't even protect you." He muttered, anger and despair warring in his heart. "I can't do much, can I?"

There was a soft bubbling sound then. He looked at the four Eyes and scowled.

The Dragon, Mermaid, and Basilisk Eyes were glowing while the pieces of the Prophet shivered in their box. As he watched, piece by piece was lifted into the air and soon the orb was put back together. A blinding flash of white followed and when Draco could see again the Prophet Eye stood brand new in its box. Draco's scowl deepened.

"Self-serving things." He hissed, looking back at Primula who was still sleeping. "No more using magic for you." He declared to the sleeping girl.

The Dragon Eye pulsed as Draco moved to his bed but he ignored it. He didn't want to touch the Eyes That Cannot See. He wanted to destroy them. All of them.

He would too. They wouldn't be able to stop him.

* * *

**_And that's chappy end for now. Thanks for waiting so paitently ^^._**


	10. Tender Feelings

**~A Madder Red Sky~ **

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

* * *

**Chapter Ten: Tender Feelings**

**DM**

Primula was up and about a day later. She grinned and waved off everyone's concern.

"Really I'm fine." Primula stated. "I'm used to it. It's just the way things are."

Draco grumbled before taking her hand and leading her away from the crowd that had currently decided to surround the gypsy. Primula smiled and waved goodbye before following Draco to wherever he was taking her.

"We should just get rid of them." Draco huffed, stopping in front of a window in an empty corridor. "Let's just toss them all in a volcano and forget about them."

Primula stared at him in surprise before shaking her head. "We can't do that Draco."

"Why not? They're more trouble than their worth." Draco argued back, eyes flashing as he glared at Primula. She stared right back. "I just got you back Rimu. Do I have to lose you again?"

Feeling herself blush and smile she turned to look out the window. "You won't lose me Dragon. Don't you worry about that. I'll always find my way back to you. Even if we do get separated from time to time."

Draco frowned. "I don't want us getting separated." He admitted softly, pulling Primula closer so that she was leaning against his side.

"Well then we won't. I'm just saying, don't worry for all the wrong reasons." Primula laughed as Draco let out a gusty sigh. "Drama king." She added making him poke her side in retaliation. They stood there for a few minutes before Primula pulled away. "The Eyes are planning something of their own. Soon I won't have to worry about them anymore." Primula murmured, recalling bit and fragments from her night in the hospital wing. "I just have to help them attain what they want."

"What do they want?"

"I'm not certain yet. They will tell me when it is time though. I know they need me for something. Otherwise the Prophet would have killed me off by now." The joke was not appreciated but Draco let it go.

"Don't scare me like that." He demanded, making her look at him. "It's like watching you die."

Primula felt her heart twinge. She wanted to tell him she was close to dying every time she used magic of any sort. That any spell could be the spell that finished breaking her core. But she wouldn't do that to her friend, whom she loved too dearly to hurt anymore than she already had.

"You won't ever have to watch me die Draco. I promise." And a smile lit up her face at the words. Draco too smiled.

"_There's a place where I know I'll always find you." _Primula began singing then, softly as she took his hand in her own. "_The smell of summer sun and the taste of berries. A place where'd we be just you and me. Will it still be there, under a madder red sky?_"

It took Draco a moment to recall what she was describing but then his smile was brilliant as he nodded. "Someday I'll take you there again Rimu."

"I look forward to it." Primula grinned, humming her song as she and Draco started walking again, neither noticing Severus and Zinnia standing at the other end of the hall, watching them.

"He hasn't told her that he knows." Zinnia murmured, turning away from the two teenagers. "And she can't bring herself to tell him."

Severus put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "We will find a way to save her. Perhaps it would help if she knew we knew. It would make her more cautious."

Zinnia gave a snort. "Primula? Cautious?" She scoffed and shook her head. "Primula will always be reckless when it comes to protecting those she loves. It's in her nature. Ever since Pallas died." Zinnia looked up at Severus then. His hand was warm on her shoulder. Severus looked right back, growing a little self conscious as he realized his hand was on Zinnia's bare shoulder.

Both adults looked away, Severus removing his hand a second after. Looking at Zinnia again, Severus saw her touching her shoulder with tentative fingers. He turned completely away then. "We are supposed to speak with Dumbledore." He reminded her.

"Oh. Right." Zinnia was blushing by the time Severus got the courage to look at her again. "Well let's get going. The Wise One should not be kept waiting."

They walked side by side, not touching but close enough that if one would be brave enough, they could have grasped the other's hand.

* * *

"Priestess!" One of her guards called as she and Draco approached the Great Hall later that day. "Priestess, the Prince has arrived!"

"Eh!" Primula gasped, rushing forward only to stop as she found most of her caravan in the Great Hall. And standing at the front, talking with Dumbledore, was Aviyam. "Avi!" She cried out in happiness and confusion. Aviyam turned, smiling as he spotted his sister.

The gypsies parted as Aviyam strode forward until he could pull Primula into his arms. Primula hugged him in return, squeezing with all the happiness bubbling up inside her. "Sister, thank the gods." Aviyam said as he held her.

"What're you all doing here?" Primula wondered, stepping back to smile at her fellow gypsies.

"We got a letter from Aunt." Aviyam's face became stone still then, meaning she was in trouble. Primula felt herself grinning sheepishly. Her brother had a way of making her feel like a five year old. Which was unfair in her book since he was only four years old than her.

"Oh? About what?" Primula wondered what he could be mad about, or what she'd done since she'd only been out of the hopsital wing a day and nothing bad had happened yet.

"We shall speak in private." Aviyam said, motioning to the room behind the head's table. "Aunt and the Wise One await us. Come."

Primula started to follow him but stopped. Turning she found Draco surrounded by most of the older women, who were eyeing him and measuring him in some cases. "Oi now, give him space." Primula demanded, taking Draco's hand and yanking him away from the now grinning older women. Primula didn't want to know what they were planning.

Aviyam gave Draco a cool glance before nodding and heading for the room. Once Draco was inside the door was shut and Aviyam turned to where Dumbledore stood along with Severus and Zinnia. "Aunt, care to tell my sister why I have returned so quickly?"

Zinnia shot Aviyam a look, which reminded the boy who he was talking to, before turning to Primula with a faint grimace. "Primula, we know." Zinnia said.

"Know what?" Primula felt her heart skip a few beats as a shudder went up her back.

"About your magical core." Draco answered. When she turned to look at him he was pouting, eyes narrowed. "About how it's broken."

The world seemed to swirl around her for a second then she put her hands up to her face. "You know?"

"To be honest sister, I have known since you battled with the Selino." Aviyam admitted. Zinnia turned to him with lightning in her brown gaze.

"You what!"

"I did not wish to worry you Aunt." Aviyam turned to Primula. "I did not know that you knew however." He said making Primula duck her head, unable to meet anyone's eye at the moment.

"I knew you would all worry. So I kept secret. I didn't want you all acting like I could drop dead at any minute." She finally said, still looking at her feet. "I know my limit. Really. So long as I don't push it-"

"Like you did during that chase?" Aviyam interrupted snidely. Primula groaned.

"It's my duty!" Primula huffed, blue eyes meeting her brother's. "Besides, I had to go collect the Mermaid from where I'd hidden her. The Selino would have two Eyes if not for that."

Aviyam scowled and ranted under his breath for several minutes. While he vented Primula turned to Draco. "How did you find out?"

"I read your journal." Draco admitted without regret. Primula gawked at him. "You didn't even enchant it shut or anything, really it's your fault." He grinned then. Primula still swatted his arm. Draco laughed though. "But it's good that we know. I know just how much I have to take care of you now."

"I don't need to be taken care of." Primula frowned now.

"But how did you know?" Aviyam asked then, eyeing her with that stony look that had her insides squirming with guilt.

"The Basilisk told me." Primula admitted. "He's most in tune with me, so he tells me stuff from time to time. And since then the Basilisk has been sharing magic with me. Every time I got sick it was because my core was getting unstable. The Basilisk's magic helps keep everything in balance. He can't fix it on his own, but he can stabalize it."

"There's always the chance though, isn't there?" Aviyam demanded to know. "That in spite of the Basilisk's magic, your core could end up breaking completely."

Primula nodded, figuring she may as well be honest. "Of course. One spell could throw it all off kilter." Primula clenched her hands into fists. "But I won't let that happen so easily. So long as the Basilisk and I remain together, everything is alright."

Aviyam seemed to deflate. He went from looking like a powerful Prince to a helpless nineteen year old in a flash. Without a word he pulled Primula into his arms again.

"Now that we are all informed, we will take the necessary steps to keep Primula from using too much magic." Dumbledore spoke up now. "For your sake Primula, do not do anything too advanced. Allow us to take care of you."

Primula made a face but seeing all the worried eyes on her she gave in with a sigh. "Alright. No more magic."

"Thank you little sister." Aviyam breathed into her hair. "I truly have no desire to live without you."

Primula smiled then, eyes growing tearful as she clung to her elder brother.

"You won't. None of you will ever have to live without me. I swear it." Primula uttered the words with every ounce of conviction she had in her. She would not fail in this promise.

* * *

Aviyam and the Iamar set up on the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid's little hut was soon surrounded by coloful tents and children who followed Hagrid around like ducklings, much to the gentle giant's delight.

Draco felt more at home among the Iamar than he ever had anywhere else. He was one of them now, so of course he should feel at home. They all helped in that too. The warriors challenged him to archery and spellcasting, the women fussed over him, and the children would beg for him to join in their games.

Two weeks had passed since the Iamar had arrived. November was in full swing, and had brought with it chill winds and frosty grounds. The Iamar wore thicker clothing and shoes but otherwise they remained outdoors. Much to the mystification of the students, who would peer out the windows and stand on the edges of the little tent village, peering at the gypsies as if they were bizzre aliens. It ticked Draco off but the Iamar people assured him it was fine, so long as all they did was look.

"Dragon, come here!" Zinnia called to him then. Draco had been wandering aimlessly among the tents today. Primula had been kidnapped by Aviyam, who was holding a meeting with the other Princes of the Northern Alliance in Hogsmeade. In the distance on the pitch figures were swerving and curving in the air. One was Potter, practicing with his team mates. Draco had told him he had no chance of winning with Weasley as his Keeper, which had made Potter punch him in the arm.

"Yes Zinnia?" Draco asked, seeing Zinnia and several of her friends gathered in the middle of the tent he'd stepped into. "How can I help you?"

"Oh you won't be helping us." Zinnia had a glint in her eye that worried Draco. "Now strip."

"What!" He spluttered, taking a step back.

Zinnia and her friends giggled. "We've been working on making you proper gypsy clothes. Now go behind that curtain and we'll hand you things to try on."

Draco thought about arguing, thought about explaining he was perfectly fine in his wizard's robes, but then he caught the glimmers in the other women's eyes and sighed.

"Fine. You win." He declared, moving to the curtained area and making sure it was all very well shut before doing as he was told.

Zinnia stood at the side, handing things through and Draco tried on outfit after outfit. If something was a little loose he was ordered to tell them so.

It was to this scene that Aviyam and Primula arrived, both looking amused as Draco emerged from behind the curtain wearing his robes again.

"Having fun playing dress up?" Aviyam poked at the annoyed boy. Draco sent him a sneer before rolling his eyes.

"We were indeed." Zinnia answered for him. "We just have to alter a few things."

"He'll always stand out." Aviyam replied, eyeing Draco's pale skin.

"Maybe but that's why so many of the girls wanted to dress him up." Zinnia giggled again. "Imagine him dressed up like a warrior." A few appreciative sighs followed that statment.

"Come on Dragon, let's go before they decide to devour you whole." Primula said, tugging him out of the tent amongst more giggles and titters. "We'll see you at dinner!" She called to her family before the tent flap fell shut. "Let's go into the woods, yeah?"

"Sounds good." Draco replied. He hadn't been in the Forbidden Forest since that detention back in first year, when that thing had appeared and scared him nearly to death. As they walked Draco told her about that incident, making Primula laugh.

"I was eleven!" Draco defended himself, feeling the heat on his cheeks.

"I'm not laughing at that!" Primula said between laughs. Draco gave her a skeptical look so she gathered herself, a grin still lingering on her face. "It just reminded me of that time we accidentally disturbed that knarl nest. Remember? They chased us for ages until we climbed the tree."

Draco gave a small gasp as the memory came flooding back, making him start laughing as well. "I had forgotten." He admitted once their mirth had trickled off.

"I had too, until you told me about your little jaunt." Primula replied, grinning at Draco. "So what all lives in here?"

"There's some unicorns, centaurs, the usual beasties." Draco murmured, looking around and wondering if they'd see a unicorn. "There's Thestrals too."

Primula turned to look at him, eyebrow cocked and Draco nodded. "I've seen them. They pull the carriages at the beginning of the year. I've never seen them in the forest though."

"Let's try looking for some then." Primula suggested. Draco hesitated, the old warnings about the woods coming back to him. Dumbledore explicitly said it was off limits.

But if he was truly an Iamar gypsy now, if that was really the case, then he didn't have to follow wizard rules anymore. He had to obey the laws made by his Prince, Aviyam. His rules were made by the laws of the gypsy. So long as he did not harm anything, nothing would harm him in return. The woods didn't even feel as ominous as they once had. Instead they felt oddly peaceful, as if he should be deeper within the embrace of trees.

They didn't leave the woods until nightfall. They hadn't found Thestrals but a passing centaur had told them where the unicorns were and they'd spent the hours feeding the younger ones. Draco asked Primula to start teaching him Iamar laws, which made Primula smile happily.

"You should spend some time with Avi." Primula said on their way to the castle. Most of the Iamar preferred to take their meals outside but Primula, Aviyam, and Zinnia continued to eat inside.

"I think that would end in a fight." Draco said dully, making Primula snort. "A very bloody one."

"You have to show him you're really committed to the Iamar though. Or else he'll never trust you." Primula let out a heavy sigh. "Would you at least try?"

"For you?" Draco asked then. Primula turned to look at him fully. "If it's for you then I'll do it."

"You should do it for yourself. It'll benefit you and him." Primula argued. Draco merely crossed his arms and lifted another eyebrow. "But if you need another reason then alright. For me."

Draco smiled and nodded. "For you then."

There was an awkward moment then. Both felt something more ought to be said, something should be done. In the end Primula just rolled her eyes, walking a little quicker now.

"You're so weird Dragon."

"Like you're one to talk Rimu."

* * *

Basilisk was not amused. He hissed and slithered about, his golden eyes fixed on the sleeping gypsy. Primula muttered in her sleep, turning over onto her side.

Prophet gave a snort. "You have become a doting pet." He said with a sneer, lip curling cruelly as Basilisk flashed a fang.

Dragon sighed, knowing a fight would break out any second. He would let it, because at the moment there wasn't anything else to do.

Mermaid swam over to sit upon Dragon's foot. "I have never seen Basilisk so upset. What makes this girl so special?"

Dragon gave another sigh. "She has a special affinity with the Basilisk. He is always this way when he senses danger near her." And danger there was. Beyond the wards and barriers of Hogwarts and Hogsmeade the Demon Eye and its weilder lay in wait. "Or if we have just collected our payment for the use of our magic." Dragon added when Basilisk sent him a glare.

"Why do we need to claim anything?" Basilisk demanded to know, curling and undulating in the darkness of the room. Primula still slept inside, at Aviyam's insistence. Her room had been changed though, so that her window overlooked the grounds and the Iamar camp. "Why can we not simply accept what we have already taken and aid her without nearly killing her?"

"Because we, unlike you, plan to be free of these prisons one day." Prophet snapped, face in an ugly snarl. "And we, unlike you, haven't become stupid with affection for a mere mortal."

Basilisk was sinking his fangs into the Prophet a blink later. It didn't do much, they being insubstantial for the most part, but the Prophet winced. He knew that if they ever did get free for the Eyes he would have to make peace with the giant serpent somehow. To not make peace would mean constantly watching out for Basilisk's revenge.

"We've broken her magical core." The Dragon called them to order with that statment. "Which was a bit melodramatic of you Prophet." He added with a sneer at the Prophet, who merely pushed his hair over his shoulder. "The child was grieving, there was no need."

"There was every need. She has grown up with caution due to that little repayment." Prophet said, eyes narrowed.

"An injury would have sufficed. She had lost her mother, anything would have been acceptable." Dragon argued, shaking his giant head. "However, we can only move forward. And it would be folly to go against the Demon Eye with our priestess incapacitated as she is. Her magical core must be cured before we can plan anything else. Even our return to the living realm." He added with a glare at the Prophet.

"How would her unstable magic affect our return?" Prophet wondered. It was no secret that of all the Eyes, Dragon was the wisest.

"In order to return to the outside world, we will need to pass through a magical core. Preferably one we are in tune with. Not to mention it will be up to someone living to take us to our new bodies." Dragon eyed Prophet until the arrogant man finally got it.

"We are in tune with the girl. Her magical core is unstable. If we attempted it while she is damaged, it would result in disaster for all of us." Prophet intoned, making Dragon nod. Mermaid sighed wearily.

"Just when I thought I'd see the sea again." She flopped over, tail flicking feebly.

"How do we repair it though?" Prophet wondered. Basilisk had coiled around Primula, his eyes closed though he heard everything being said.

"If we could speak to the Demon, perhaps we could strike a deal with him." Dragon stated, looking off into the distance. "With the combined power of all the Eyes, surely we could repair what the Prophet destroyed. We are the most powerful of our kind."

"Why can't us four do it?" Mermaid wondered, twining some hair around her fingers.

"We could, but it could do more harm than good. We are not all in harmony, after all." And again Dragon glared at Prophet who threw his hands in the air.

"We are not in harmony with the Demon either." Basilisk muttered from where he nuzzled the unconscious girl. "So why would his power help us?"

"With only the four of us, we require the unity since we have been together for so long. With the Demon though, his power being as great as it is, it would overcome the need for unity. Sheer, raw power tends to do that." Dragon explained. It made sense. "And as I said before, with only the four of us, harmony would be absolutely necessary."

"Okay, I get it. I'm an arrogant fool who ruined things. Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Prophet groused.

Dragon rolled his eyes. "We were separated by then, and I didn't think you were so stupid as to rip into the magical core of an emotionally distraught eleven year old girl child."

Prophet winced but didn't apologize. Apologies would do nothing now. All they could do was fix things.

"Couldn't we try?" Basilisk asked. "The four of us. Maybe we could do it ourselves. Prophet would be in harmony with us, he wants to get out into the real world again just as we do."

"He might wish to, but in truth it is not just him who must be in harmony." Now Dragon looked down at Mermaid who was looking innocently off in the opposite direction. "Mermaid had been from us for five years. We need time to became in tune again. That takes a while. Even if we were, we need to care about more than just returning to flesh and bone bodies. We need to care about healing the child." Dragon shook his head.

"Well I don't care about that." Mermaid replied haughtily. "Why should I?"

"Therein lies my point." Dragon sighed, sounding like an old man. "I care, and it is obvious Basilisk cares. You and Prophet do not. Thus we need power over harmony. We need a source of great, concentrated power. The Demon."

"The Demon will only work for his own freedom." Prophet stated with a snort. "And we can't allow that."

"I must think on this matter some more." Dragon said then, moving towards his eye and disappearing. Mermaid followed, muttering in Mermish. Prophet moved towards his, pausing only to look at Basilisk and Primula.

"You act as if she is dying. Quit moping. The Dragon will save her worthless little core."

Basilisk looked up at him then closed his eyes. "If she dies...I will follow her to the beyond." He stated, making Prophet's eyes widen. "I do not care for living if she is not on this world."

Prophet didn't know what to say and so instead went back into his Eye. Basilisk curled around Primula more tightly. He would do it too. If she died, he'd leave too.

No one, not even Primula herself, understood just how deeply the Basilisk cared for her. Basilisk wasn't about to 'fess up either.

* * *

_**End chappy! Hope you enjoyed, as always. **_


	11. Bargain

**~A Madder Red Sky~ **

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**As always, arigato for reading! **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Bargain**

**DM**

"What're you wearing Malfoy?" Ron gaped as Draco entered the common room several nights later with Primula following him.

"Hmm?" Draco was tired. He had asked Aviyam to train him a bit in some gypsy hexes and spells and was exhausted. Aviyam had grudgingly admitted he was rather good though, so there was a bonus.

Primula giggled as several of the students turned to look at Ron's words and their jaws dropped. Draco was wearing a tunic with slits on the sides right up to his ribs and baggy pants in a dark red shade. Black whorls and curling lines decorated the edges of the tunic and pants.

"It's what the gypsies wear." Draco replied as he took a seat next to Harry and dug around in his bag for his homework. Primula settled down on the floor beside him, dressed in red tunic and skirt herself, though hers bore white designs on them.

"Aunt and several of the women made them for him." Primula explained as Draco began flipping through his Ancient Runes book. "He usually changes back into his wizards robes but I guess he's tired today. He sparred with Brother."

Draco scoffed. "It's not that. I just got didn't see any reason to change. It's very stupid anyway, almost like I'm ashamed of who I am." Draco looked up with a stern look on his face. "I'm not. I'm an Iamar now...may as well look the part."

Primula smiled then looked away. "In your heart and spirit yes, but your blood and bone were born wizard first. Does that not put you in conflict Dragon?"

"It did, which was why I bothered to change out of the clothes at first. But there is no conflict in my mind anymore. I am Iamar now. That is all that needs to be said."

Primula's soft smile went unnoticed by the blonde as he began to scribble on the parchment.

"Are your lot really that different?" Ron asked then. Hermione shot him a look like he was being rude but Primula just grinned.

"Yes. We are. Just as you are different from Muggles." Primula smiled. "We don't have many incantations like you civilized wizards do. We pull our power from the earth, from the air. Magic is magic. Wherever you go, there is bound to be a tingle there. What you all learn as young adolescents, we have been taught since before we could walk. We are more powerful in ways, weaker in others. We guard our differences and our magical secrets well." Primula laughed then. "You Outsiders baffle me still to this day, and I knew Draco for most of my life."

"Can anyone become a gypsy then, like Malfoy did?" Harry wondered. He'd been wondering about that ever since the little showdown with Malfoy Senior.

"Yes. But usually Outsiders consider themselves so superior that the thought of becoming a lowly gypsy is terrifying to them." Primula replied. "All that is needed for one to join a caravan is for one to be open to the way of life we live."

Draco reached out to ruffle her hair then, making her grin once more.

"So Malfoy isn't an Outsider anymore." Harry said, watching the two with a small smile. He hadn't seen Malfoy so relaxed in all the time he'd known him.

"No. I declared him a member of the Iamar when I exacted my revenge on Lucius." Primula said. "As Priestess of the Iamar, my word is law, just as my brother's word is law."

"I don't get that." Harry admitted then. "If your brother's a prince, then shouldn't you be like a princess or something?"

Primula shook her head. "The only princess there can be is the daughter of my brother. If I had not inherited the title of Priestess, I would have no title at all. I would simply be the sister of the Prince and my word would hold some sway, but not as much as it does."

"Why is the title so important?" Hermione asked then, the thirst for knowledge visible by the twinkle in her eyes.

"Priestesses have greater communion with the magic." Draco offered then, not looking up from his work. "They are more powerful magically and spiritually than others in the caravan. That's why she's so respected and people follow her lead even though she is not the leader of the caravan."

Harry saw Hermione was scribbling something down. But she'd finished her homework an hour ago. Then he realized she was writing down everything Draco and Primula were saying.

"What about blood status?" Hermione asked then.

"What about it?" Primula replied. "It holds little sway over us. Why worry about something so inane when it won't help anything? Like I said, magic is magic. If you are lucky enough to be blessed with it then you ought to cherish it and not worry so much about where it came from."

Hermione was beaming at that, shooting Draco a quick look before looking away.

"Isn't it hard, living such nomadic lives though?"

"Not at all." Primula shrugged. "Why should it be? We have magic, which takes care of most of our needs. Everything else we can procure without difficulty. I rather like our way of living. There's nothing better than laying out under the stars, hearing the stories of our past and adding our own bits to it." Primula turned to Draco then. "Do you remember doing that Dragon? With Mama?"

Draco paused in his writing to smile sadly at his friend. "Vividly. I loved Pallas very much."

Primula positively glowed with that. "She loved you too." Primula looked up at the ceiling then. "She loves you still."

Draco too looked up at the ceiling, still smiling.

The two suddenly jerked and looked down at their sides. Both reached into pockets and pulled out glowing orbs. The Basilisk and Dragon were pulsing.

"Danger... Something outside the wards...?" Primula murmured, her eyes half-lidded as she stared at her orb. She jumped to her feet, Draco following a step behind.

"Hey wait!" Harry called as he and his friends followed them. "What's going on?"

"The Demon Eye is just outside the gates!" Draco shouted over his shoulder.

Harry felt his blood run cold at those words. The Demon Eye...was Voldemort out there too?

* * *

Zinnia was laughing. Severus was scowling. And both were on the ground, staring up at the sky.

"This is not amusing." Severus snapped, sitting up partially and grabbing Zinnia's shoulders to haul her up off his torso.

"Yes it is." Zinnia argued, getting the hint and moving onto her knees beside the annoyed Potions Master. "You were just bragging about how you knew this forest oh so well and now we're at the bottom of a gully."

Severus felt heat on his cheeks and thanked the darkness for hiding it. "You were distracting me."

"Oh is that right?" Zinnia teased leaning right into his personal space so that their faces were only a few inches apart. Severus felt his mouth run dry as Zinnia's brown eyes meet his darker ones. "I'm distracting am I?"

"Insufferable." Severus amended, turning his face away. Zinnia giggled then.

"Liar liar." She muttered before pulling back. Severus caught her shoulder before she'd gotten far however.

"You are insufferable." Severus assurred the amused gypsy. "And distracting. Downright selfless on occasion. Unfathomable."

Zinnia cocked her head slightly on that last one. "Why unfathomable?" She wondered as Severus got the courage to meet her gaze again.

"Because you continue to seek my company." Severus murmured so softly that she barely heard it. But she did hear it. And it made her own face flush brightly in the cool night.

"Well I happen to like your company." Zinnia murmured herself. "It's nice...being close to you... I mean... That's..."

Severus found himself smirking as Zinnia lost her ability to form coherent thoughts. He pulled her closer as she trailed off into silence.

"I'm fourteen years your elder." Severus reminded her. Zinnia scoffed.

"My father was nineteen years older than my mother. And my brother was nearly thirty years older than Pallas. Besides, I'm an adult now in both your society and mine. I can do whatever I please."

"And I am an unpleasant man on my best days."

Zinnia rolled her eyes at that. "Only to people you don't like. I've seen you with Draco. Not to mention you treated Primula with such care when she was ill. And you've never hurt me intentionally."

Severus searched her face as best as he could in the darkness of the woods. "People will most certainly bring up objects."

"The always do when Outsiders are involved." Zinnia smirked. "But I'll beat them all down. Primula will help me. If anything that'll shut them up."

Severus sighed, looking skyward for a moment. "I have no experience in this sort of relationship Zinnia. My first love turned out horribly. I haven't been capable of the emotion since then."

Zinnia sat frozen for a moment then launched herself forward, her arms wrapping around Severus's neck as the force of her move made them end up on the forest floor once more. "You haven't shot me down yet." She whispered in his ear. "I rather think that makes that last statement completely idiotic."

"Zinnia-"

"Severus Snape, shut up and let us try this will you?" Zinnia interrupted whatever other negative Severus was capable of thinking about at the moment. "I want to try. And you're not going to discourage me. So just shut it."

Severus stared up at the trees, mind ticking with so many new thoughts while Zinnia continued to cling to him, her breath rushing past his ear. His hands moved up to place themselves on her back.

"Enjoying yourself?" Zinnia wondered a few minutes later.

"Very much so." Severus answered honestly, shutting his eyes as she laughed.

Their moment was cut short when a shudder went through the ground. Both were on their feet in seconds, wands drawn and potions ingredients forgotten as they hurried to the edge of the forest.

They exited in time to see a ripple pass over the grounds.

"What's going on?" Zinnia asked a warrior who had just reached them.

"Priestess Primula says that the Demon Eye is attacking the wards!" The warrior replied.

"Where is my niece?" Zinnia wondered, eyes searching.

"She is there." The warrior pointed up at the dark sky, at a pinprick of light in the sky that was no star. "She and Draco have gone up to ascertain how many attackers there are."

Zinnia stared up at the light, feeling herself shudder as another round of ripples shook the wards and grounds. "Can the wards hold...?"

"The wards will hold against a wide vareity of attacks and spells. They will hold." Severus promised her.

"But this isn't a spell Severus. It's the Demon Eye. Those things...they transcend conventional magic."

"We must trust the priestess." Aviyam's words broke Zinnia's trance-like staring. "We must trust my sister. If it is an Eye attacking us, then it shall be she who deals with it."

"But nephew...her core..." Zinnia's argument was cut off by the bitterly helpless look on Aviyam's face.

"I know aunt."

Together they turned up towards the sky. Zinnia felt a warm weight settle across her shoulders and leaned into Severus's side.

* * *

Primula breathed a sigh of relief. "Only the Selino are here." She said as Draco kept them aloft high above the ground. "The Prince is not seriously trying to dismantle the wards. Yet. For now he's just trying to capture our attention."

"Well the bastard's got it." Draco growled, his eyes zeroing in on the dark green energy that kept lashing against the wards. "How do we let him know that though?"

Primula gave a soft chuckle. "Like this." She reached into her pocket for the Basilisk Eye. "Watch and learn Dragon." She held the Eye above their heads and the amber orb flared into life. From the orb came a glittering, translucent image of a great Basilisk burst forth, lighting up the sky and making sure every conscious being glued their eyes to it.

"Demon!" The Basilisk called in a resounding tone. "What is the meaning of this!"

A silence fell over them and then there was a crackling in the air. From beyond the gate a green haze appeared, amassing into the form of a green-skinned male with a horn in the middle of his forehead. Primula felt her fear rise up several notches. It wasn't the evil being she'd seen in that space with the Eyes but it was still the same presence.

"Rimu?" Draco asked as the Demon finished materializing itself. "Rimu...are you alright?"

"No." Primula admitted as she kept her eyes fastened on the Demon. "I'm scared."

"Basilisk. An honor." The Demon spoke, his own words echoing around them all. "I am merely doing the bidding of the one who freed me. He wishes to speak to the one called Primula Moon."

Basilisk hissed. "What does your weilder want with mine?"

"To speak. Merely that."

"As if I would believe that." Basilisk coiled around Primula and Draco then. "You will not pass these wards Demon."

"It would be easy to topple these wards serpent."

Basilisk chuckled and at that moment Draco felt his pocket heating up with the power of the Dragon Eye. "I beg to differ vile nuisance."

Primula saw her eyesight going in and out of focus now. She rubbed at her eyes as the darkness began eating away her sight.

"Draco...something's..." Primula fell sideways then, Draco just managing to catch her hand. The Basilisk hissed as Draco's own vision dwindled. The last thing he saw was a red haze escaping from his pocket.

* * *

Primula groaned as she opened her eyes to find herself in the middle of a grassy clearing. Sitting up she touched her head, trying to see if she'd landed on it when she fell of the broom. Her head and the rest of her body was intact and unharmed.

Several paces away Draco was also coming too. The two teens looked at each other then arounds.

A rustle had them turning to a clump of bushes, from which emerged a young man hardly older than Zinnia.

"You must be Zafiro." Draco said into the quiet stretching out before them.

Zafiro smirked and nodded, standing up as Primula and Draco did the same. "I imagine you are the Priestess of the Eyes." Zafiro said then, his dark eyes pining her with a longing sort of look. Primula shivered a little while nodding.

"Where are we?" She wondered then, looking away from the man's intent stare. "I remember falling from a broom...and now we are here."

"Indeed. How bizzare." Zafiro smirked. Draco kept himself between the Selino gypsy and Primula at all times. Zafiro smirked at him now. "You are an Outsider are you not?" He asked, taking in his pale skin and white-blonde hair.

"I am Iamar." Draco replied with a proud smile on his face.

"Is that so?" Zafiro chuckled now while Draco scowled.

"Shh." Primula commanded then. "Over there." She pointed to a cluster of trees they hadn't noticed until now and all three shared quick looks before nodding to one another. A temporary truce was silently called as they all began walking towards the trees.

In the circle of trees awaited a sight only Primula had ever seen the likes off. There was the Basilisk, the Dragon and the Prophet. Perched upon a stone was the Mermaid, brushing her fingers through her long hair. And across from those four stood a figure much like the one that had appeared beyond the gates of Hogwarts. The Demon.

"So that is the grand master plan." Demon chuckled. "You wish to use your little priestess as a doorway into living bodies."

Primula froze along with her two companions. What?

"That is correct." Dragon said. "But since we are not in harmony as we once were, we are in need of power. Raw power such as your own."

Demon smirked. "What is in it for me, if I agree to help?"

"Your own body. To do with as you please." Prophet said, his dark eyes closing for a moment. "No more need to rely on a filthy human."

"I highly doubt that." Demon snorted. "I am no fool, contrary to what you may think."

Basilisk hissed then. "I told you this was a waste of time. We've wasted enough time here. Let's go back and strengthen the wards."

"Hush serpent." Prophet demanded, only to get whipped by Basilisk's tail.

"Prophet! Basilisk!" Dragon called to them, making both scowl at one another before subsiding into terse silence.

Demon watched them carefully then a slow grin appeared on his lips, making his eyes shine darkly. "It seems we've been overheard." He turned to where Primula and the boys stood. Primula gulped away her fear, striding forward.

"What is going on?" She demanded of the original four. "What did the Demon mean? A doorway into living bodies?"

Basilisk slithered forward, lowering his head so that it was level with Primula's. "We have been trying for many years to escape from our Eyes." He told her in a quiet voice. "Every time we extracted a payment from a weilder, we grew a little stronger, and used that strength to batter the enchanments placed upon us."

"And now the enchantments are weak enough to be broken permenantly." Prophet said then. "But we still need a doorway of sorts to pass from this insubstantial state into a living one. Your magical core was our doorway, until..."

"Until Prophet ravaged it in his arrogance." Dragon told her now. "If we use the power of all five Eyes, we can heal your core and thus pass through it, back into living bodies."

Primula listened to the entire explanations with wide blue eyes.

"We are out of harmony, for various reasons. So we require the added power of the Demon in order to do both." Dragon added, his eyes flickering to the Demon.

"I highly doubt they'd let me pass through you into my own body however." Demon said then, rolling his eyes.

"I knew I should just toss you all into a volcano." Draco spit out then, his gray eyes stormy and narrowed.

"That would do nothing to us Draco." Dragon said, a chuckle in his tone. "We are too magical to be destroyed so easily."

"You can fix her though?" Draco asked then, looking at Primula. "Fix her core and make her better?"

"Indeed." Demon answered. "It is nothing for beings such as us." Demon turned to look at Primula then. "For the right price however."

Primula ducked her head a little, only her sardonic smile visible. "Everything has a price doesn't it?"

"Of course."

Primula put a hand up to her eyes, sighing deeply and tragically. "What is your price Demon? What do you need in order to heal me?"

Demon studied her carefully before turning to Zafiro. "I want his body." Demon said, making Zafiro's eyes widen. "I want his body and to be allowed to devour the magical core of the one called Voldemort. In whichever order you can arrange it."

Zafiro and Draco both looked at Primula then who seemed to be warring with herself. "Why trust me and not your fellow Eyes?"

Demon snorted. "It was with their powers that I was bound. I wouldn't trust their word further than I could throw them." Demon scowled at the other four now. Primula looked at them all. They had told her they'd never been in contact with the fifth Eye...

Dragon seemed to guess what she was thinking. "We have never been in contact with the Fifth Eye. Once we had separated the Demon from his body, we were removed from the area while the Iamar priest sealed him within the Eye."

Primula was frowning now. "How do you know I won't betray you?" She asked the Demon.

Demon looked over at Basilisk then, who had not left Primula's side at all since she appeared. "Because Basilisk cares for you so. And Basilisk and I have a history pre-dating the history of the Eyes...don't we?"

Basilisk gave a nod and then licked Primula's cheek when she turned to look at him questioningly.

"Basilisk was once as ruthless a monster as I was." Demon said gleefully. "But if he has chosen to entrust you with his very essence then I know I can do so as well. You will not betray me, for if you do, I will destroy your core completely and then destroy the Basilisk."

Primula froze at that declaration, her hands reaching out to wrap around the Basilisk's face. Demon smirked. "If you swear to aid me into a new body, I will help these bastards heal you."

"My core will be healed...and you all will be free..." Primula murmured then. "But what havoc will you wreak upon the world, once you are free?"

Demon smirked. "Give me what I desire first Priestess, and I then we shall talk about that."

"You want the Dark One's core, and Zafiro's body?" Primula asked just to make certain that was all. Demon nodded. Zafiro was looking pale and sickly. "You will need to heal me first before I can offer you a way into the Selino's body." Zafiro looked terrfied now. "As for the core of the Dark One... I know how you can devour that first."

"How?" Demon wondered.

"If you serve the Lightning One." Primula explained to him, meeting his eyes in spite of the fear he put in her. "The Lightning One is the Dark One's mortal foe. If you fight alongside the Lightning One, you will surely get your chance to devour the Dark One's core."

Demon pondered this for a moment and then smiled as he walked over to Primula. She trembled a little but Draco clasped one of her hands and Basilisk nudged her with his head. Demon extended a clawed hand.

"Very well little Priestess. Just remember what I can do if you renege on our deal."

"I will not." Primula promised, reaching out now to grasp the Demon's hand. The Demon began to laugh as the wooded clearing dissolved into darkness around them.

* * *

When she opened her eyes again she was in the hospital wing. Zinnia and Severus stood on one side of her bed, while Harry Potter stood on the other.

"Mm? What time is it?" Primula wondered.

"Shortly after dawn." Severus answered for her, helping the girl sit up.

"Draco?"

"He needed to use the loo." Harry answered. "Erm... Primula... Uh..." He shook a little as he dug into his pocket. "After you all passed out...just a while ago actually... This thing showed up in my pocket." Harry explained, pulling out his hand to reveal an orb of tanzanite. Primula smiled.

"That is the Demon Eye, Lightning One." Primula said making Harry jerk and drop the stone. It shot up and hovered in front of him though, pulsing angrily. "We have struck a bargain, he and I." Primula reached out to grasp the Eye. It was frigid and made her shudder. "He wishes to devour the core of the Dark One. I informed him that if he aided you in your fight against the Dark One, he would be allowed to do so."

"Devour his core?" Harry repeated, staring at the orb with suspicious eyes.

"Yes. The Demon lusts for power almost as much as corrupt mortals do." Primula recieved a slight sting for that joke. "Our bargain is simple. In return for gaining the Dark One's powers...he will heal my magical core." Primula kept the part about letting the Demon inhabit Zafiro's body to herself.

"Isn't that dangerous little niece?" Zinnia asked then, eyeing the Eye with distaste.

"Do not worry aunt." Primula said as she held the Eye out towards Harry. "Our bargain is set. And if it helped rid the world of a crazed wizard then who am I to let a little danger stop me?"

Harry reached out slowly and took the Demon Eye with a slight gulp. It pulsed in Harry's hand but Harry didn't drop it this time.

"You have nothing to fear from the Demon, Harry Potter." Primula assurred him. "To cause you harm would void our bargain, and he doesn't want that." Again the Eye pulsed.

"Now then..." Primula looked around to find her four Eyes on the bedside table. "I will rest for a while longer, if I may."

She felt one more pulse from the Demon Eye before settling back to sleep.

* * *

**_And end chapter! Whoo. Well then. ^^ Hope you enjoyed. _**


	12. Basilisk

**~A Madder Red Sky~ **

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Basilisk**

**DM**

Zafiro scowled. He'd woken up and found himself surrounded by Iamar warriors. His guards had been overpowered while he'd gone to wherever it was the Eyes had taken them.

He'd been placed in a cold, dank, dungeon under the Outsider's magic school. His warriors were being held by the Iamar in the forest.

The Demon whispered in his sleep and his only contact for the past three days had been with the little house-elves.

The door opened now and Zafiro looked up to find the Priestess and two other boys. Zafiro's eyes narrowed on the dark-haired boy. He could feel the cold aura of the Demon wrapped around the young Outsider.

"Priestess." Zafiro rasped.

"Zafiro." Primula replied. "This is the Lightning One." She motioned to Harry. "The Demon serves him now."

"Ha." Zafiro scoffed. "The Demon will turn on you the moment something better comes along."

Harry looked down at his hand, where the tanzanite Eye rested coolly in his hand.

"Do not assume human..." A ghostly voice rattled as a bolt of blue-violet light shot out and struck Zafiro on the chest, leaving a bleeding welt.

"The Demon and I have a bargain. The Lightning One is the Demon's best bet at getting to devour the Dark One's core." Primula said coldly. "I merely came to ensure you were being taken care of." Primula eyed his bleeding chest and turned to Draco. "We should heal that."

"Do I have to?" Draco scowled. Primula gave him a smile and he sighed. With a quick flick Zafiro was healed.

"Is that truly all you came for?" Zafiro spat.

"No actually." Primula said, pulling the Basilisk from her pocket. "We do not know how soon the Demon will be able to devour the Dark One's core. So until then..." From the amber orb in Primula's hand rose a ghostly image of the great serpent. An image of the demon also rose up from Harry's hand. The room grew cold and every breath was seen as a cloud of white. Zafiro shuddered.

"What are you doing?" He asked in the strongest voice he could muster.

"We are putting you to sleep human." The Demon said as he and Basilisk advanced. Zafiro scooted away from them until the wall stopped him. Basilisk lowered his head and a greenish-yellow gas escaped from his gaping jaws. Demon also opened his mouth and a grey gas escaped his lips. The green-yellow gas hit Zafiro first. It took only five seconds for Zafiro to fall into a profound coma. The gray gas enveloped him then, solidifying and encasing him in a coffin of ice.

The whole dungeon began coated in the gray gas, which hung around the coffin, preserving it.

"He will sleep." Primula said. "Here he will sleep. And when the time comes Demon will take his body. And my revenge on this Selino will be over then." Primula sighed.

"How come I don't feel sick?" Harry asked as they left the dungeon.

"We did not use their power for our own gain. They did that by themselves." Primula explained.

Harry looked down at the dormant Eye as they moved back up to the entrance hall. "This Eye will help me fight Voldemort?"

"It will."

"Will I get sick then?"

"Most likely, but not until after the deed is done." Primula smiled. "You will survive and live a long life, Lightning One. Do not fear." Her eyes became shadowed then. "You have nothing to fear from the Demon."

Harry didn't quite agree but he supposed if she said it, it must be true. Primula knew more about these Eyes anyway.

* * *

"I wonder what the Demon meant." Draco brought up several weeks later as snow fell and blanketed the world in white. He and Primula were in the forest. Primula was determined to make a proper gypsy out of Draco yet. The forest, once an ominous place full of terrible things waiting to eat his face off, was now a welcoming place. The centaurs hadn't even given him any trouble. They'd mearly spoken to Primula who acknowledged them with respect and listened to their warnings about the planets.

"About what?" Primula wondered, pulling her cloak closer to her body. She hadn't seen snow in ages. Not since the Wiltshire Incident. Aviyam had gone far to try and escape anything that reminded him of England.

"How he and Basilisk have a past." Draco mumbled, watching Primula closely. She hadn't been doing much magic in the past few weeks but it still worried him that any small touch of magic could shatter her broken core.

Primula stopped then, the snow drifting lazily around her to join the rest of the snow on the ground. Draco watched her breaths puff in front of her before she at last turned to stare up at the sky.

"He won't tell me." Primula admitted. "I asked too. But all he did was tell me it was the past."

Draco frowned. It couldn't be a good connection then, not that it surprised him, considering the Demon had been a part of it.

"Basilisk wants me to get well." Primula said then. "He wants me to get better more than all the others, even Draco who is kind to me. I wonder why that is... He just says he likes me..."

Draco's head whipped around as something seemed to click then in his head. Primula saw his expression and laughed. "I'm sure it's not like that Dragon!" She teased, shaking her head. Draco was sure it was exactly like that but he'd wait until Primula was busy to research his hunch.

A snowball to the face made him wake up from his thoughts. He blinked to find Primula doubled over in giggles. "Oi!" He cried, picking up some snow as well and launching it at her. "Rimu you sneak!"

Laughing the two waged war until they were exhausted and the sun had sunken beneath the horizon.

* * *

Long ago, before man spread like rats and proclaimed themselves kings and emperors and chiefs, long before that, the creatures ruled the lands. Among these great beast rulers was the Basilisk King. He ruled over all the serpents, great and small.

His kingdom was great and respected and all knew not to anger the Basilisk King, who could kill with a single glance. In respect to his fellow creatures the Basilisk King would keep his eyes half-closed, to avoid killing those who accidentally met his deadly stare.

For several centuries the Basilisk King ruled peacefully over his lands and creatures. Nothing seemed to be missing...until the day he came across a human settlement. Death and Dark Magic hung around the settlement. Many bodies lay strewn about. a lone cry caught his attention and the Basilisk King discovered a little human girl, weeping. She wept and wept and when she finally noticed the Basilisk, she met his half-shut gaze.

"They killed my family." The human girl sobbed. "I have nothing and no one now. Please, be merciful and kill me as well."

The Basilisk King had heard similar requests but he could not kill this one girl. Something about her stopped him and so instead of killing her with his stare, he picked up her in his tail and carried her away from the death and darkness.

He took her to his court, and had his subjects treat her as if she were one of their own. For several weeks after, the girl would ask to be killed but always the Basilisk King would refuse. Eventually the girl stopped asking and instead began overcoming her grief and sorrow.

She became the Basilisk King's constant companion after that. They would walk in the jungles or sleep under stars, the girl safely surrounded by the Basilisk King.

Back in those days the great beast rulers held magic of their own. Basilisk King had Parselmagic and it could be used for a wide range of things.

One day, several years after they'd met, when the girl had become a young woman by human standards, she asked for the Basilisk King to use his Parselmagic and make her into one of his kind.

"I wield magic." She explained. "But even those who hold magic die eventually. I wish to live with you, for as long as you rule over these lands."

The Basilisk King was pleased, for he had come to love his little human girl. But he did not wish to make her completely like him, for he enjoyed her humanity as much as everything else. Instead he used his magic to grant her the ability to turn into one of his kind at will. And so she became an Animagus who could turn into a basilisk.

They ruled for many more centuries together and the girl gave birth to many hatchlings who could also switch between human and serpent. They would leave and some would mate with serpents, others with humans. One hatchling became to progenitor of the Slytherin line.

One day however, around the fourteen hundreds by human time, the Basilisk King and his mate were passing through a stretch of land inhabited by man. These people did not like the great beast rulers, for they felt they were oppressed by having a creature dictating how they could live and where. When these people discovered his mate could become human they devised a plan. One night they lured the woman into taking on her human form and when she was unsuspecting they killed her.

When the Basilisk King discovered this he went on a rampage, letting hundreds fall to his deadly stare. He curled around his mate, mourning her death, and hatred for mankind grew in his heart.

The Basilisk King's hatred blinded him and before he knew it, his spirit was ripped away from his body, being sucked into an orb of amber that looked so much like his own eye. His spirit was sealed within it and so it had been from that day onward. Basilisk had mourned for his mate and lashed at at those who sought to use him, taking small revenge in the form of prices which would eventually cause death. He delighted in how he could still destroy mankind for several hundred years until the day he felt it.

His mate's spirit, connected to his as it had been for centuries, returned to the earth and was reborn into the body of a little gypsy child. A future Priestess of the Eyes. Basilisk stopped exacting a price from the current Priest, her father Aster. He was content to watch over his reincarnated mate and swore to never take from her as he had been doing for centuries.

And so he had kept his promise, never taking from the little gypsy called Primula, always giving, always caring for her. He wept when he discovered he shattered core, he hissed in fury when the Prophet exacted his revenge on the girl who had no fault for his or any of the Eyes perdicament. Her people had enslaved them all yes, but she was not the one responsible.

Now Basilisk awaited the day he could return to a body. A mortal body perhaps, one that could become a great Basilisk as his mate had once done it. He would not tell the little Priestess Primula of their connection, for he could see her forming one such connection with the Malfoy child, but he would watch out for her and any of her descendants. He would become her guardian until the day she left the earth, and when she did he'd follow as he could not centuries before.

...

Draco blinked, letting the Basilisk Eye fall from his hand onto Primula's bed. So that was it. That was why the Basilisk was so good to Primula, why the Eyes exacted prices. Revenge for the gypsy ancestors who had stolen their spirits and sealed them within gem orbs.

Primula was the reincarnation of the Basilisk King's mate. Wow.

"Do not tell her." The Basilisk appeared in his mirage form, his gaze not deadly in this incorporeal form. "Never tell her. Someday she shall know it herself but until then I wish for this life to be completely her own."

Draco stared at the mirage-Basilisk and recalled the emotions he'd felt while holding the Eye, the emotions of the sentient spirit withing. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. In the end him simply nodded and then smiled. "You really think I have a shot?" He asked the serpent king. Basilisk laughed.

"More than a shot." Basilisk said.

"That still doesn't answer my first question. Demon said you and he had history." Draco reminded the Basilisk.

Basilisk chuckled. "Demon is the Demon King, as I was the Basilisk King. Our territories bordered each other and we aided each other in many a bloody war. But this was before I met my mate."

Draco hummed as he got his answer. It made sense. "One more question."

"Ask away little dragon."

"What was her name? Your mate's?"

Basilisk seemed to smile then. "Lycoris."

Draco smiled himself then.

"If you somehow fail to meet my standards dragonet, I will devour you no matter what form I come to possess, and take Primula for myself." Basilisk warned as his mirage vanished. Draco scowled.

"Everyone wants Rimu. Bloody Merlin."

A hissing laugh made him scowl more.

* * *

"Tragedy." Primula murmured as she sat in on the Divination class. Harry had mentioned it and she'd wished to see what Outsiders learned. Neither Draco nor Blaise had it however, so she went with Harry. It had taken about two minutes for her to see that Trelawney was all show for the most part. Harry assured her she'd actually made a prophecy though, which made Primula figure that the Sight only came to her when the Fates needed a mortal tongue.

"Pardon dear?" Trelawney asked as she looked over at Primula who was gazing deeply into a crystal ball.

"Tragedy...in the depths of mystery...a serpent..." Primula blinked and shook her head. Harry and Ron were gaping at her along with the rest of the class.

"My dear! You did not say you had the sight!"

Primula stared blankly. "Every mortal possesses a form of the Sight. It comes to those who are openminded. And Outsiders are notorious for being closed in such aspects."

Trelawney nodded. "Yes, indeed, most of us Outsiders are."

Primula felt her liking for the woman rise slightly. "Lightning One."

The title had Harry turning to Primula who was tapping the crystal ball with a finger. "Yeah?"

"Sleep with the Demon tonight."

The words made Harry reach into his pocket, pulling out the tanzanite orb. Ron gave a snort then and both Harry and Primula turned to him. "What?" Ron demanded.

"The way she said it." Ron snickered. Primula blinked again before a faint blush reached her cheeks and she gave Ron's arm a light smack.

"Boys!" She huffed while Harry hid his own blushing face. Ron cracked up.

But Harry did as she instructed and fell asleep with the Demon Eyes in his hand. When he awoke hours later, screaming and shuddering from a nightmare, he realized why he needed to. The Demon Eye had tasted the power of the Dark One, Voldemort.

It didn't help him feel better though, as he heaved over the side of the bed.

* * *

Aviyam didn't like it, but he decided in the end to send Zinnia and two warriors along. Thus Primula could join Draco in the Order Headquarters. Itol transported them all to the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, where they startled the relieved Weasleys.

"Mrs. Weasley." Draco called her attention then. "This is Primula Moon, her aunt Zinnia, and two of her warriors."

The warriors were women about Zinnia's age. Aviyam had muttered something about women having level heads and then turned to bid Primula goodbye. Aviyam was still leading the warriors and Princes from the other caravans into capturing the Selino gypsies. They had a lot of explaining to do. Siding with an Outsider and promising him a secret gypsy treasure in exchange for... Well they didn't know yet but they would, Aviyam promsied they would.

"Oh! Welcome. A pleasure to meet you." Mrs. Weasley greeted them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Mrs. Weasley." Primula said as the warriors bowed and Zinnia inclined her head. "Forgive us if we are intruding..."

"Nonsense. Have a seat. Have you had lunch?" Mrs. Weasley asked and soon enough the warriors had a room as did Zinnia and Primula. Draco found that Itol had claimed his room from the summer for Draco again and had even set the room up for the gypsies.

"How is your husband?" Zinnia asked as she helped Mrs. Weasley later that night at dinner.

"He's well, thankfully. Oh I don't know what we would have done without Harry..." Mrs. Weasley trailed off to beam at Harry, who colored.

"I didn't- It wasn't-" Harry stuttered but Molly just hugged him and made him turn brighter red. Harry pulled away with a jerk then. "Sorry, the darn thing..." Harry said in apology to Mrs. Weasley, showing her the Demon Eye.

"Is that one of those Eyes?" Mrs. Weasley asked, reaching out to touch it but stopping when she felt the nearly unbearable chill that surrounded it.

"Yeah... He... He wants to talk to you." Harry said then, holding it out to Primula who took it without hesitation. Closing her eyes she felt the chill of the Demon enter her mind.

_"I sensed a connection between the Dark One's mind and the boy's." _The Demon stated. _"An unsual one. As if they were one being instead of two." _

_"How is that possible?" _

_"I do not know yet. But it is there. A connection that in currently unknown to the Dark One. The boy seems well aware of it however. He is having doubts about himself. He believes he somehow attacked the man in the vision." _

Demon went silent then and Primula opened her eyes to find everyone staring intently at her.

"We could see your breath." Draco explained as he watched Primula look down at the Demon.

"A connection..." Primula said then, looking up at Harry who blanched. She held out the Demon and he took it in a slight twitching hand. "Has the Demon been speaking to you Lightning One?"

Harry nodded.

"Listen to him Lightning One." Primula advised. "Remember we have an accord with the Demon. He will aid you in your fight with the Dark One. He will not lie to you."

Harry stared at her for a long time before looking away. "Are you sure?" He asked, a hand moving to trace his scar.

"Did I not tell you before that the light is always with you?" Primula asked and Harry turned to meet her gaze once more. "I must not tell lies." Primula said then, looking down at his scarred hand. Harry gave a jolt again. "I will not lie to you Lightning One. I have no reason to. Neither does the Demon. Why would he, when he could just as easily kill you?"

Harry took a moment to realize it was a joke. Sort of. He gave a breathless laugh.

Draco was laughing as well. "You have a morbid since of humor Rimu."

Primula smirked then. "I've faced death twice and returned from the brink. If my humor were not morbid, I would be worried." Draco nodded in agreement. He reached up then and placed a hand on top of Primula's. She turned to him and smiled brightly.

"Let's not go for three, yeah?" Draco murmured then.

"Yeah." Primula agreed.

Zinnia's laughter had then turning to her. "Oh you're both so cute together! But you'll have to ask Aviyam to court Primula, remember that little dragon." Zinnia said with an almost malicious smile. Draco paled more than he was and gulped.

"Be brave Malfoy, be brave." Harry said from across the table to a renewal of laughter.

* * *

"Amber, onyx, carnelian, aquamarine, tanzanite." Hermione said as she stared at the Five Eyes. "How on earth did they do it?It had to be Dark Magic of some sort."

"It was not." Primula snapped. Hermione blushed but didn't look deterred. "It was Gray at worst."

"Hmm. Still, it couldn't have been Light Magic." Hermione blustered on. Primula was about to say something when she felt the Basilisk form around her. Hermione and Ginny squealed in shock. Draco and Harry, who'd already known the Eyes could do that, merely watched as the Weasley boys also gaped in fright.

"Child of Outsiders," Basilisk hissed, "you have no idea what your Light Magic is capable of. Light Magic is no better than Gray or Dark. Light Magic can kill just as easily as any other form of magic." Basilisk's ghostly tongue flicked against Primula's cheek, making her smile. Draco shot him a glare then, to which the Basilisk chuckled.

"I will show you someday Child of Outsiders." Basilisk promised then.

"Basilisk, play nice." Primula said then, looking up at the mirage and finding him looking down at her fondly.

"Very well. She was irritating me however. Those who assume they know everything always do." And he blinked out of existence again, a lingering chuckle in the air. Hermione was clutching her chest at that point.

"We didn't die." Hermione squeaked out.

"Of course not." Primula said, looking over Draco's shoulder as he worked. "He is an incorporeal being. His powers are limited by the Eye."

Draco was quietly laughing at Granger's pale face. True he shouldn't laugh but he agreed with Basilisk. Know-it-alls were irritating.

* * *

**_And end chapter. This was mostly to explain Basilisk's attachment to Primula and move the timeline along. But hey I liked it. Then again I like most of what I write so... ^^. _**


	13. Soul Fragments

****

~A Madder Red Sky~

J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.

* * *

****

Chapter Thirteen: Soul Fragments

DM

"There is a piece of the Dark One within the Lightning One." Demon said as Primula sat on her bed, the tanzanite orb in her hand. Demon's voice was in her head, echoing slightly.

Harry had given the Eye to her that morning, stating the Demon wished to speak. Now she sat in her room alone, the Eye glowing in her hand.

"A piece?" Primula had never heard of such a thing.

"A shard of the Dark One's soul."

Primula felt a shudder travel down her spine. "How awful. To have even a sliver of such a dark being within you..."

"The Dark One's shard does not touch his own soul. His soul is whole and pure." Demon said with a small chuckle. "Such a good soul..."

"Demon." Primula said warningly. "You are to devour the Dark One, not the Lightning One."

"Yes, yes, I know. A demon can daydream. Do not worry however. Our bargain is more than enough for me. Now then, as I was saying, the Dark One's shard is embedded into his scar. It creates the connection I sensed. I can devour it however, thus ridding him of that potentially deadly connection."

Primula thought about that for a second. "Does he know?"

"He is unaware."

Nodding, the gypsy priestess rose from her seat. "Then we shall inform him of this and give him the choice."

Primula moved down to the kitchen where Molly was serving lunch. Draco and Harry looked up when she entered.

"We must talk Lightning One." Primula told him.

"Okay." Harry said but didn't get up.

"This you will not want your friends to hear." Primula said then. "I do not even want Draco to know."

Draco set down his goblet with a frown. "What?"

"This is a private matter. Only Harry Potter and I will know of it." Primula said in the voice of a priestess. Draco would have argued but Zinnia laid a hand on his arm.

"As you wish little niece." Zinnia said and the warriors both nodded in agreement as well. Harry thought this over for a few seconds then rose from the table, motioning for his friends to remain seated.

"Let's go to the drawing room." Harry suggested. Primula followed him quietly. Once in the drawing room the Demon made himself visible. Whether he did it to mess with Harry or not, he came out looking like his current master, expect with tanzanite eyes and fangs. Harry frowned, used to the Demon's twisted sense of humor after so much exposure to it over the last few weeks.

"So what couldn't you tell me in front of my friends?" He asked then. Primula waved a hand at the Demon and he smiled.

"You are unaware of this but within your scar resides a piece of the Dark One's soul." Demon said, getting right to the point. Harry felt his lips part as the words reached him. "It is through this piece of his soul that you are able to see what he is doing, feel what he feels, and how you recieved the vision of Arthur Weasley being harmed."

"A piece...of him...inside me..." Harry felt his stomach churn at the idea.

Demon nodded. "I can devour it." He said then and Harry's head snapped up. "I plan on devouring his magical core and his soul in any event."

"Why haven't you done it before?" Primula wondered then, giving Harry some time to think.

"Zafiro never took me when he went to see the Dark One. I need to be close in order to devour his core." Demon explained.

Harry stood up then, his chair clattering to the floor. "Get it out of me." He demanded then, hand curling around his scar. "Get him out of me, please."

Demon hummed. "Are you sure? That connection could be useful. It already has been, has it not?"

"That's not the point!" Harry spat. "That...bastard has been screwing with me since I was a baby! Now you tell me there's a piece of his soul inside me-!" Harry shuddered, utter revulsion on his face. "He killed my parents! He tried to kill me several times already. I don't need any more contact with him than I already have to deal with. If you can get rid of it then get rid of it!"

Demon smiled. "Take my Eye in your hand." He instructed Harry, who gladly took his Eye from Primula. Demon disappeared from their sight then but an oddly solid vapor was coming from the Eye. It formed a snake and the snake nudged Harry's hand away from his scar. Then it struck, biting into Harry's forehead and causing him to bite his tongue to keep the shout of discomfort from coming out. Through the vaporous body of the snake they saw a dark matter, something oily and disgusting being drained and absorbed by the Eye.

The vapor snake detached when no more dark matter came from Harry's scar and disappeared into the Eye, which pulsed a sickly green once before returning to its violet-blue color.

Harry felt a little weak and dropped onto the carpeted floor, breathing heavily. Primula kneeled down beside him and reached out, pulling Harry into a hug. Harry was stiff for a moment before pulling Primula closer.

"It really wasn't me that attacked Mr. Weasley." Harry said as they sat there. "I just saw it because I had a piece of Him in me."

"That's right Harry." Primula replied, surprised he still thought that was his fault somehow. "How could it be you?"

"Right." Harry let her go then and wiped at his face. "I had a piece of him inside me." He said then, face twisting with the horror of the thought.

"But now you do not." Primula said, helping him to his feet.

"Now I don't." Harry rubbed at his scar.

"It will no longer bring you pain or visions. You are free from him." Demon's voice came from his Eye, which glowed in Harry's hand.

"For now." Primula amended. "You will have to face him someday. But we shall be by your side."

Harry smiled and looked down at the Eye in his grasp. "You'll help me?" He asked the Demon.

"Until the day I devour the Dark One's core, I am your weapon." The Demon swore. Harry took a deep breath, smiling faintly then.

"I think I'll tell Sirius about this. But no one else. At least until I'm ready to tell them all." Harry said then. He had to tell someone, he just had to. And he trusted Sirius.

Primula smiled. Harry was free of the Dark One's soul fragment. She was glad for him. She was also glad the Demon had helped Harry. True he'd gained a fragment of the Dark One, which he wanted, but the point was Harry was helped instead of harmed.

There was hope for the Eyes yet.

* * *

Primula was in the kitchen when Severus came by a day later. Sirius was in the kitchen as well as one of the warriors.

"Priestess." Severus greeted her. Primula smiled at the man.

"There is no need to call me by my title, Severus." Primula told him then. "All things considered." She added with a chuckle.

Severus stared at her then looked away, even as Sirius leaned over and asked, "What d'you mean by that?"

"None of your business Black. Where's your godson?" Severus snapped.

Zinnia stepped into the kitchen then, her brown eyes lighting up with happiness upon seeing Severus. She didn't give anyone any time to say anything as she rushed forward and threw her arms around Severus. Severus caught her, keeping them from falling to the ground. Sirius gaped while Primula giggled along with her warrior.

"There better be a good reason you haven't written to me Severus." Zinnia said in the sweet-yet-scary tone she often used on Aviyam when he was being bossy and rude. Primula herself had been on the recieving end of that tone a few times. Severus seemed to hear the threat implied by it as he pulled back a step and offered Zinnia an apologetic smile.

"My masters have been keeping me busy. I was planning on finding you today, once I've spoken to Potter."

"The Lightning One is in his room with his friends." Zinnia said. The warrior got up then. Primula stopped her though.

"What do you need with the Lightning One?" She asked Severus.

"The headmaster wishes for him to have private lessons with me." Severus said after deliberating a moment. "To work on Occlumency."

"Occlumency." Primula murmured. "Does this have to do with the vision he recieved before Christmas?"

Severus nodded making Primula smile. "Tell the Wise One there is no reason to worry about Harry recieving another vision. The issue has already been dealt with." Primula told him. Everyone was looking at her now, though Sirius was looking worried now. Primula gave him a shake of her head. She would not betray what she had learned. Harry still got the nauseous look on his face when he thought about that shard of the Dark One's soul residing within him.

"And how has it been dealt with?" Severus wondered.

"The Eye currently in Harry's possession has seen to it that Harry is protected from such visions from now on." Primula said as she looked towards the ceiling. "It is part of our bargain. The Lightning One is safer now than he has ever been. So long as he continues to possess the Demon Eye."

"Are you certain?"

"I am certain." Primula told the Potions Master. She smiled then. "Now, you can use this time to appease my rather annoyed aunt." Primula laughed as Severus was dragged out of the room by Zinnia. Sirius turned to Primula then, eyebrow raised while his mouth twitched.

"Snape and your aunt?" He asked then. Primula nodded.

"I approve. My aunt needs someone who will protect her as well as be able to love her as she is. I am certain Severus can do both."

Sirius snorted, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd see the day. Snape in love." The words seemed to bring a bad taste to Sirius's mouth. Primula laughed as she rose from the table, her warrior following her.

"You will find it too, someday." Primula said before she left Sirius. Sirius snorted again and Primula shared a grin with her warrior before they moved upstairs to Harry's bedroom, where he was playing wizard chess with Draco, Ron watching and offering advice from the side.

* * *

The winter holidays came to an end and Sirius was sad to see Harry go. Harry promised that he'd write more often and then they were getting on the Knight Bus. The gypsies garnered plenty of attention, especially from Stan Shunpike, but they ignored it.

Once back at Hogwarts, Primula spent a few hours with the caravan, catching up on what they'd heard since she'd left. She joined Aviyam in Hogsmeade for the meeting of the Princes. All but a handful of the Selino caravan were captured by now. The Selino would be forced to join the other caravans or be forced into exile. It was what they deserved for going against the gypsies of the Northern Alliance.

"We've barely been back and you're already working." Draco huffed when she reappeared on the grounds.

"I am the Priestess, Draco." Primula said in reply. Draco rolled his eyes, taking her hand and leading her up the grounds to the castle.

"Will you still be priestess after?" Draco asked as they strolled the silent halls. Most of the students would be arriving in a few more hours on the train. For now the castle was mostly deserted.

Primula honestly hadn't given that a thought. Afterward, once her magical core was healed, the Demon got the Dark One's core and Zafiro's body, and the other Eyes used her magical core as a gateway into their own living bodies... Well what would become of her then?

"I suppose I'll just be Primula then." Primula said as they walked, hand in hand. It reminded her of the old days. Walking hand in hand under a bright sun, through snow and rain and under moonless nights with only starlight blinking down at them.

"You'll never be just Primula." Draco said then, winking at her. "Not my Rimu."

"Your Rimu huh?" They turned to find Blaise standing behind them, wearing a grin.

"Blaise." Draco greeted, not caring if his friend was waggling his eyebrows at him and Primula.

"Hello Blaise." Primula said, waving with her free hand.

"Hello Primula." Blaise replied. "How were your holidays?"

"We had fun. I met so many new people." Primula said as they began walking again.

Blaise chuckled as he nudged Draco. "So you're an official couple now?"

"Eh?" Draco exclaimed while Primula blushed. "What are you on about?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Oh just get on with it! Everyone already thinks you're dating anyway." He paused then to eye Primula. "Do gypsies date?"

"Some do, some don't." Primula replied. "It depends on the caravan and the family. The Iamar are fifty-fifty on that matter. Half the families prefer the traditional marriage arrangement made by the fathers, the others allow their children to date."

"What about your family?" Blaise pressed.

"Aviyam will want a say in it I am sure, but I'm allowed to date." She grinned then. "Not until I come of age though."

"Two whole years?" Blaise said then, looking to Draco with a shake of his head.

"Actually, only a few more months." Primula replied. "Gypsies come of age at sixteen. Though I doubt that will ever deter Avi from meddling in my life." Primula laughed then. Her brother would forever be overprotective and bossy. But she loved him just the way he was. Even if he did annoy her sometimes.

"Well then, is that what you're waiting for Draco?" Blaise teased. Draco swatted at his head, making the taller boy laugh.

"Oh shut up." Was Draco's reply, though his hold did tighten a little on her hand. Primula listened to the boys discuss their homework and Quidditch, happy to just relax for now.

Soon enough, she'd be fulfilling a bargain that could possibly leave her with nothing.

* * *

Primula was a little apprehensive when she recieved a note from the Wise One, asking for her to meet with him privately. While her friends were in classes, Primula ascended to the Headmaster's office, speaking the password to the gargoyle and riding the revolving stairs to the door.

A voice from within called for her to enter and she stepped inside.

Dumbledore smiled at her benignly, telling her to have a seat and offering her tea, which she accepted.

"How are you fairing, Priestess?" He asked as they settled into their seats with their tea.

"Very well. Though I am growing impatient. I wish to preform magic on my own but until my bargain is complete..." Primula trailed off with a sigh. Dumbledore nodded.

"Severus relayed your message to me. Tell me, what makes you believe the Demon Eye will save Harry from further visions?"

Primula set her tea aside, looking at Dumbledore steadily. The Wise One knew many things, many secerts that others with magic could only hope to possess. She'd been told so since she was young. Stories of the Wise One revolved in her head still.

She wondered if he had known about the fragment of the Dark One's soul. If he had not told Harry about it. If he had a secret plan.

"The Demon sensed a fragment of the Dark One within the Lightning One." Primula said then, meeting the light blue gaze. "We spoke to Harry about it and when he discovered the Demon could remove it, he asked to be rid of it. The Demon devoured it. He feels this ends the connection between the Dark One and the Lightning One."

Dumbledore did not seem surprised. Primula frowned. If the Wise One had known about the soul fragment and had deliberately not told Harry... That was just cruel.

"I see." He was silent for several minutes. "Could the Eyes sense other such fragments?" He asked suddenly. Primula thought about it.

"Yes. The Demon more than the others, since he has already devoured a fragment." Primula wondered what the old wizard was thinking. "Is is possible the Dark One has other soul fragments laying about?" She asked then.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Laying about no. But..." The Wise One turned pensive then. "I have a theory. It would explain a lot. I do not have proof however."

Primula nodded. "What is this theory?"

Dumbledore gave her an x-ray look before shaking his head. "I do not wish to divulge it until I have sufficient proof."

Primula sighed and rose to her feet. "Then I believe we are finished for now."

"What are the exact terms of your bargain with the Demon Eye?" Dumbledore asked as she walked to the door.

"I do no wish to divulge it." Primula smiled a little as she used his own words against him. He had known. She just knew he'd known about the soul fragment inside Harry. Not telling Harry was beyond cruelty. It was perverse.

Blue eyes met blue eyes as the two stood there for a long moment, then Primula turned away.

"Priestess-"

"Wise One. You cannot expect answers but give none in return." Primula said it lightly, though her eyes seemed to spit sparks. "When you wish to be more forthcoming, I will tell you anything you like." She waited then, but Dumbledore did not say anything more. "I thought as much."

She let herself out, taking a deep breath as she turned over the conversation in her head.

There were more fragments of the Dark One's soul somewhere. Perhaps in other unsuspecting people. If that were certain, then the Demon would not gain all of the Dark One's soul if he were to attack now.

They needed to find those other soul fragments.

* * *

Harry fell back against the couch in the common room. Primula had asked to speak with him privately again and their friends had gone to their dorms. She'd brought the Eyes with her as well as she spoke, letting them hear everything she'd learned.

"He knew? Did he say he knew or-?"

"He was not surprised when I told him what the Demon had taken from your scar." Primula replied. Hurt flashed across Harry's face.

"That as good as proves he knew." Harry muttered, rubbing his scar.

"The Dark One's soul is in pieces." Prophet said then, bringing them back to the main topic, in his eyes anyway. "Meaning that in order to fulfil the bargain between the Priestess and the Demon, we must discover their whereabouts."

Primula nodded. "The fewer who know of this, the better I think." She said then, meeting Harry's eye. He gave a nod. "If more people were to know, word could reach the Dark One."

"How do we find these other soul fragments though?" Harry asked then.

"I will be able to detect them." Demon said, once again having assumed Harry's shape. Primula would say the Demon was actually growing fond of Harry, if the constant use of Harry's form were any indication. "It is a matter of discovering where the soul fragments are contained."

"They can't be too far away can they?" Harry asked his slightly-off doppleganger. Demon shrugged.

"They cannot." Dragon said. "The soul is both strong and fragile. If it is divided, it becomes unstable. If the Dark One has purposefully divided his soul, then the fragments must be somewhere near him. If they were not, then his current body would suffer from a sort of corrosion as the unstable fragment within him tried to escape and reconnect with the others."

Primula and Harry both looked at the Dragon then. "Has someone done this before?" Harry asked.

Dragon nodded. "The Dark One is not the first, nor will he be the last."

"But why rip your own soul apart?" Harry asked then, frowning at the thought.

"Immortality." Prophet told him. "There is a ritual, a way of tethering one's soul to the world by splitting it into fragments."

Primula shuddered. "That sounds so...horrible." She said as she looked at the mirage images of the Eyes.

"How does someone split their soul anyway?" Harry murmured.

"Murder." Demon said, his tanzanite eyes twinkling with malicious glee.

"Well Voldemort's done plenty of that." Harry replied with a disgusted look. Primula hugged herself, smiling as Basilisk wrapped around her.

"I will beging to search for other fragments." Demon said. "I will devour them all." He added with a wide grin.

"Can you do that? Go out looking?" Harry wondered, looking down at the tanzanite orb he held in his hand.

Demon nodded. "My powers are vast, little Lightning One." Demon teased as his form shifted into a shadowy one, indistinct and thicker than normal shadows. He disappeared through a crack in the portrait hole. The others returned to their Eyes.

"Voldemort broke his soul into pieces to try and live forever." Harry said as he and Primula stared at the dying fire. "That's just so sick."

Primula nodded. "In the end, that will be his demise. The Dark One will be devoured by the Demon. Soon, my friend, we shall be free of that menace."

Harry smiled then. "Soon. I like the sound of that."

* * *

**__**

And end chappy. ^^.


	14. Crown and Locket

**~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Crown and Locket**

**DM**

"You know if you don't tell me, I'll just assume it's something horribly disturbing." Draco argued yet again. Primula went on primly ignoring him, sorting some herbs for a woman in the village who was sick and refused to see Pomfrey.

Draco knew there was a secret between Harry and Primula now. Neither of them spoke of it around the others but their friends weren't stupid. Even Weasley, the king of obliviousness, had demanded to know what the two had been "muttering" about earlier that day.

"_Rimu_." Draco whined. He knew he was whining and didn't care. He had to whine or else hex Harry and Primula might not like that.

Primula finally looked up from her task, a smile on her face. "Dragon, I will tell you when I can. You know I will."

Draco eyed her steadily while she continued to smile. "Will you? Or will you simply write it in your journal and then delay in telling me?"

Primula winced which made Draco instantly regret his stiff words. That wasn't fair, he supposed, bringing up her tattered magical core.

"I will tell you when I can." Primula repeated, reaching out to clasp his hand and squeeze it. "I swear I will."

"Alright then." Draco figured he would just have to wait. That and Primula's eyes were overly bright. He did not want to make Rimu cry. It was at the top of a long list of things he didn't want to ever do.

The gypsy woman came by for her herbs a few minutes later, listening to Primula explain what she had to do with them. Then they were alone again in Primula's tent. Draco was studying some of the drawings that hung up on the wall next to Primula's bed. The gypsy children had drawn them, detailing the many places they'd lived in since the Wiltshire Incident. One picture stood out though. It was a child's drawing but it was done in various shades of green and a bright red that dotted most of the green. There was a large tree, Draco supposed it was a tree, on the left.

"Do the poppies still grow like that?" Primula asked him quietly, taking his hand again. Draco turned away to find Primula smiling at him, much softer this time. "I haven't ever found a place like that, you know?" She continued when Draco didn't say anything. "There's nowhere else on the world that has a gnarled old tree, a field of tall grass, a meadow of blood red poppies..." Primula leaned against him with a sigh. Draco shifted his arm so he could wrap it around her.

Often they'd stood like that, under sun or rain, just staring off into the distance. Draco could remember those days so vividly they made his throat ache. Sometimes he swore he'd give anything to return to that time. Before That Day, before the bitterness and agony. He'd give anything to sit on the swing next to Primula, eating sweets while Itol waited to take Draco home and Pallas told them old stories with the sun setting brilliantly.

"Draco?" Draco's eyes snapped open. He looked over to see Primula giving him a worried look. "Draco, are you feeling well?"

"Fine Rimu. I'm just reminiscing." Draco promised. Primula replied with a grin. "Let's go back there someday." Draco said suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Back to the poppy field." Draco clairified. Primula's eyes closed, a smile trembling on her lips. "We can go there this summer. We'll get Itol to Apparate us there."

"But your father-"

"He never goes there. Neither does Mother. And we don't have to stay forever you know. Just for a day. Itol would keep us safe."

Primula's eyes snapped open and there was so much hope in them that Draco felt his throat ache again. Primula threw her arms around him the next second, squealing and laughing as they rocked off balance and landed in a heap on the ground.

"We can really go? Really?" Primula needed to be absolutely sure.

"Of course." Draco huffed, a little winded from being knocked to the ground. "I would have suggested it sooner but you were unconscious, then recovering, then we were sent to that awful house... Besides the poppies won't start blooming until the spring at any rate."

Primula giggled, nodding at the logic in that. "This summer then." To seal the promise, she leaned down and gave Draco a soft kiss.

Draco lay still, surprised by the action, before coming back to himself and pressing a little closer. The kiss stayed chaste and sweet for a few seconds longer. Draco pulled back a little to find Primula blushing, her blue eyes sparkling

"I don't mean to interrupt." A voice drawled. Draco and Primula turned to find Aviyam standing about five feet away, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. His expression was between amusement and anger, though the anger was losing to the amusement.

"Brother." Primula choked the word out, hurrying to stand. Draco followed, standing next to Primula with the trademark Malfoy smirk on his lips. Aviyam might be his Prince now but hell if Draco was going to feel bad for kissing Primula. "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know the boy still has much Outsider in his veins." Aviyam replied, the anger mostly gone now. "It is Iamar custom to ask to court the girl before you dare to kiss her."

"Zinnia might have said something like that." Draco replied, knowing that if his father had been present he would have accused Draco of insolence. Aviyam's eyes flashed then they narrowed before finally they shut. A sigh escaped the young man's lips. In that moment, Draco remembered Aviyam was only four years older than him. Aviyam had only been fourteen when he inherited the leadership of the Iamar. He couldn't say why it suddenly hit him but it did.

The moment passed and Aviyam was once again glaring at him. Compared to other glares the Prince had given him, Draco could face this one with a smile. Primula was looking between them, expecting hexes to start flying at any second.

"I'm sure my aunt also mentioned that such agreements are not taken lightly." Aviyam finally spoke. "I will not allow my sister to be courted by someone who is only looking for a passing fling. She is a Priestess, a daughter of the Moon clan. She is to be cherished and protected above all others."

Draco nodded. From the corner of his eye he saw Primula blushing and smiling. "I know that." He paused before deciding to just blurt out what he was thinking since Aviyam seemed in a good enough mood. "It must be hard for you. Seeing Rimu growing up and knowing someday she'll want a family. And Zinnia too. She's already making her own life away from you. You must be feeling a little lonely."

Aviyam's blue eyes speared right through him. Draco thought he'd made a mistake in speaking so frankly but he'd just had to say it. Primula was looking fondly at Aviyam now.

"It is as you say, Draco." Aviyam said, startling Draco with the use of his given name. "Aunt and Primula are leaving my side. It is to be expected of course. However..."

Primula walked over to Aviyam, her lips trembling a little. Aviyam pulled her close and let out another sigh.

"Avi, no matter what, we're always going to be together."

"I know little sister. But it will not be as it is now. I have cared for you so long... Now another wishes to intrude on that and I resent him for it. Still, I see your happiness when you are with him. So I'll allow it." Aviyam drew back from his sister to give Draco another hard look. "If I feel you are not honest in your feelings, I will revoke my permission."

"You won't ever see the need for that." Draco promised swiftly, knowing his eyes were probably too full of smug delight but not bothering to hide it. Aviyam had a right to know what kind of person he was allowing to court his sister.

Aviyam snorted then muttered something under his breath before kissing Primula's forehead. He held his hand out to Draco. They shook, each looking steadily at the other. "Very well then. I shall inform the caravan at tonight's gathering. Now then, Primula, I came because the Lightning One is looking for you."

"Harry? Where is he now?"

"Outside the tent." Aviyam said. Primula nodded, sent Draco a beaming smile over her shoulder, then left through the colorful flap. Draco moved to listen in when Aviyam's hand clamped down on his shoulder, keeping him still. "Part of a courtship is learning to trust one another." Aviyam stated seriously. From the smirk on his face a second later, Draco concluded Aviyam had heard most of their conversation, including the promise to visit their poppy field in the summer. He waited for something else, a warning or another declaration, but Aviyam just squeezed his shoulder. He left through the back entrance to the tent.

Draco hovered in the middle, wanting to know what Harry and Primula had going on. In the end though, he figured he ought to listen to Aviyam. He'd trust Primula could do whatever she was doing with Harry on her own. He'd trust her to tell him when she could. He followed Aviyam's example and headed through the back entrance, circling around in a wide circle so that no one could accuse him of snooping.

He stopped in the trees of the forest when he spotted Zinnia and Severus. They were sitting on the roots of a giant tree, simply chatting with each other. No, not just simply chatting, Draco amended. Severus had never looked so relaxed or content. Zinnia looked even more animated than ever.

It was only the end of January but love was in the air. Draco idly wondered if Severus would have enough courage to ask Zinnia to a date on Valentine's day.

Come to think of it, did Draco have enough courage for that? He was officially given permission by Aviyam to court Primula.

A flush of warmth swept over Draco then. Unless Aviyam called it off, no one else could have Rimu now.

Draco smugly walked off, knowing he was swaggering now but not caring.

* * *

"I see nothing but wall." Primula informed Harry. Harry chuckled as he began to walk across the stretch of blank wall on the seventh floor across from the tapestry of the wizard being clubbed to death by trolls.

"There's a place in Hogwarts that only appears here, under the right circumstances." Harry explained, finishing his third pass. Primula gasped as the door materialized, opening slightly to beckon them inside. "It's called the Room of Requirement."

"What are we looking for in this room?" Primula asked in a hush as they stepped inside. They were in a cluttered room, with piles of junk that scrapped the ceiling.

"A soul fragment." Demon replied, appearing beside Harry. "I sensed it, vaugely, during the Lightning One's illegal duel club."

"It's called the D.A." Harry defended. "And it's a Defense club, and only illegal because Umbridge is a cow."

Primula giggled at that. The Demon looked approvingly at Harry who flushed. "In any case, I sensed it here, hidden. Now I sense it clearly. Follow me." Demon lead them through a winding trail until they reached a mannequin dressed in a dusty robe. On the mannequin's head was a rusty crown.

"There." Demon breathed the word out like a lover's caress, turning into a snake yet again. He shot up and latched onto the rusty circlet, hissing in delight as the same dark material they'd seen before began to pour out of the crown.

This time the process lasted several minutes longer. Harry and Primula stood quietly, watching with a sick fascination as the oily substance vanished into the Demon's Eye.

At last the Demon finished draining the crown of its soul fragment and returned to looking like Harry's distorted reflection. He licked his lips with almost obscene relish. Harry gave a delicate shudder.

"He might be mad, but that Dark One is very powerful." Demon purred. Primula snorted. Harry just shook his head. "There are no more soul fragments within the walls of the school. I shall have to search beyond for the others." Demon informed them.

"Do what you must. If you need anything, do not hesitate to ask." Primula instructed. Demon smirked, bowed, then disappeared from sight.

"What is this thing anyway?" Harry wondered, taking the crown from the mannequin. He squinted in the gray light coming from the windows. "There's something inscribed on it."

They left the room of clutter and stepped out onto the hall. Harry looked at the tarnished silver again, looking at the words. "I feel like I've heard this somewhere before." Harry muttered as he let Primula look at them herself.

"Perhaps Hermione knows?" Primula suggested. Harry nodded.

"Probably. Let's go ask her. She should be in the common room by now."

* * *

Draco couldn't believe what he was holding. The lost diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw. It had been in the school this entire time! Dumbledore hadn't know it was there but it was!

"Where did you get this?" Draco asked for the fifth time. He wasn't expecting an answer but he couldn't help asking.

Primula and Harry wouldn't say where they'd gotten it, how, or what its significance was. They had decided to show it to him before they turned it in to Flitwick. They were sure the little Charms professor would be delighted.

He gave it back to Primula who had been chosen for the task of returning it to the Head of Ravenclaw.

"What I want to know, is how it got back here if it was supposedly lost." Draco said as they walked up to Flitwick's office. The professor had a free period this time of day as did they.

"That's a good question." Harry agreed.

Primula knocked on the door and Flitwick's squeaky voice bid them enter. He was grading papers.

"Hello you three." Flitwick greeted cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

Primula stepped up to the desk and set the diadem on the desktop. Flitwick stared at it, looked up at her, then stared again. He picked it up, studied it closely, all the while his eyes widened. At last he let out a squeak and looked up at Primula with glittering eyes. "Dear Priestess, where did you find this?"

"It was here in the castle. I came across an odd room and found this within. When I showed it to my friends, they advised me to bring it to you." Primula spoke the lie flawlessly. Dumbledore would figure out what they were up to soon enough, but the others did not need to know.

Flitwick was beside himself, bouncing in his seat and babbling happily. The three teens left his office as he began to talk about telling the other professors.

"Now then Lightning One, who is this Chang girl and why did she corner me the other day?" Primula asked suddenly. Harry was so surprised by the question, he missed a step and would have gone tumbling down the stairs if not for Draco's quick reflexes. Draco yanked him back so he landed on his butt.

"Chang? Cho? She cornered you?" Harry spluttered as Draco helped him to his feet. Primula laughed behind a hand, nodding when Harry looked at her. "Why'd she do that?"

"She wished to know if we were dating." Primula replied. Harry blushed while Draco just rolled his eyes. "I told her we were not. In fact, Aviyam gave Draco his permission to court me."

Harry relaxed for two seconds before his eyes widened as he looked between the two teens. Draco put on his most smug smirk while Primula turned a bright red. Harry began to chuckle then.

"Took you long enough Malfoy." He teased.

"Oh shut it Potter. Go find your Ravenclaw and ask her out to Hogsmeade." Draco shot back.

"Hey yeah, when is the next Hogsmeade day?" Harry asked when they commenced their walk to the Potions classroom.

"This Saturday." Draco paused to see if it would click with Harry. It didn't, obviously. "On the fourteenth." Harry still didn't seem to get it. "It's Valentine's Day."

"Oh is it? Wow that was- Wait, what!"

Primula burst out laughing as Draco shook his head. "Gryffindors!"

* * *

Zinnia walked into Severus's classroom on Valentine's Day with a soft smile on her face. Her father was probably shaking his head at her choice but she couldn't help but be drawn to Severus. She had learned things about him that no one else had, not even that mysterious first love of his.

Severus was sitting at his desk of course, looking over some papers. Zinnia smiled wider when he looked up at her. He looked so much more relaxed these days that he had when they'd first met. She happily took all the credit for that.

"It's a beautiful day and you're in here, grading papers." Zinnia chided, perching on his desk and shaking her head. "Tsk, tsk, for shame."

Severus chuckled, setting his quill down. "Oh? And the better alternative would be?"

"Why it would be coming with me, of course." Zinnia replied, hopping off the desk and holding out her hand. "The papers are not going anywhere. You can do them tomorrow. Now come along. I want to take you somewhere."

Severus let himself be led away from his papers and his dungeon. They walked out onto the grounds, passing by several love-struck teens. Severus ignored the shocked looks that his students gave him, not caring about what they were thinking at the moment.

Instead of taking him into the village like Severus had thought she would, Zinnia grasped his arm tightly and Apparated them the second they were clear of the school's wards.

They reappeared in the middle of a small wood. Severus looked around as Zinnia walked away from him and settled on a fallen tree.

"I was born here." Zinnia said with a fond smile as she pat the tree. Severus froze in his observation, looking around the woods once more. "My birthday isn't for a while still but I felt like coming back here today. Do you mind?"

Severus shook his head. "Where exactly where you born?" He asked after a minute. Zinnia got up from the tree, grabbed his hand and led him about twenty yards to the left. There was a small glade there, with the remnants of colorful scarves and pennants hanging from the trees and ferns.

"Huh, looks like the Soltare have been through here recently." Zinnia murmured, picking up a bright yellow scarf edged in a dark red color. "I was born right here, under this tree." She said then, touching a willow with her brown eyes closed tight. "Pallas told me so. She had me brought here a few times over the years... I haven't been here since she died."

Severus sat beside her on the still frosted grass, holding her against him as she stared unseeingly at the patch of ground.

"I started my life here and when my end comes, it will be witnessed by this place." Zinnia promised Severus, looking up at last with a brilliant smile on her face. "But that won't be for a very long time my dear Potions Master. Will you be able to deal with me for that long?"

Severus replied with a kiss, holding her gently against him. Zinnia happily responded just as gently, then she pressed closer, her laugh lost as Severus parted her lips.

As they spent the day in that scarf-filled forest, he had to admit Valentine's wasn't such a bad day after all.

* * *

Primula stared at the pink and red decorations, her giggles bursting out of her every few seconds.

"This is a ridiculous holiday." Primula declared as they entered the Three Broomsticks. "Though I suppose any holiday that encourages the consumption of chocolate must be given some credit."

Draco snorted, grinning himself as he watched Primula while she moved through the crush of people. She was wearing red robes for a change, with the edges in white. People couldn't help but stare at her as she moved around the pub before settling into a booth. Primula carried herself like a queen and her features were exotic enough to stand out. Wild brown hair and blue eyes and light brown skin. Draco proudly walked beside her, his own robes were a deep crimson edged in black. They matched and yet didn't.

Primula had never tasted butterbeer before. Draco watched as she sniffed the mug then took a delicate sip, followed by another. "It's delicious." She declared as she took a longer drink. "I still say having a specific holiday for lovers is ridiculous." Primula said, returning to her earlier point as they waited for the cupcakes they'd ordered.

"And why is that?" Draco didn't know any other girl who thought Valentine's was a ridiculous holiday. He'd seen plenty of the gypsies in Hogsmeade today, completely enjoying themselves with their sweethearts.

"Because why should any one specific day be heralded as the holiday of lovers?" Primula argued as Madam Rosmerta arrived with their cupcakes, which were as big as as their hands and piled high with pink frosting. Primula's eyes lit up at the sight of it. "I mean, if you're going to celebrate love then it should at least be a week long thing. One day doesn't seem to do it justice." Primula continued once Rosmerta had walked away. She picked up her fork and cut into the chocolate cake, grinning when a dribble of chocolate sauce ran out onto the plate.

Draco thought about what she'd said before laughing. "A week for Valentine's instead of a day? Maybe you're on to something. But having just one day for it makes it more special, doesn't it?"

Primula shrugged, mouthful of cake and frosting. Draco snorted as one of the Valentine's decorations on the table went off and showered them both with glitter and heart shaped confetti. Primula laughed as well, shaking her head and succeeding only in covering her robes in more glitter.

"Hey you guys." Harry greeted them a few minutes later. He looked a bit flustered, and not in a good way.

"Hello Lightning One." Primula replied. "Where is Chang?" She asked then. Harry scowled briefly. "Ah. It did not go well."

Draco snickered when Harry shook his head. Harry shot him an evil glare which Draco just cocked an eyebrow to.

"I did not like her. She seemed too morose for you." A familiar voice said. They turned and saw a tall man with tanzanite eyes and tanned skin.

"Demon?" Primula asked. Demon smiled, showing off his fangs.

"How come you look like that?" Harry asked then. Demon flashed another smile.

"Well I could not wear your face in such a public place could I?" Demon asked as he dug into his coat pocket. Primula saw he wore only pants and a coat and nothing else. Demons...they could be such show-offs. "I come bearing a gift for the Lightning One." Demon said then, winking as he drew out a silver locket. "Another relic of the Dark One." He added when Harry took the locket. Harry and Primula looked at him. He nodded then looked over at Draco who was watching the exchange with sharp eyes.

"Another one. How many are left?" Harry asked as he sat down next to Primula. Demon took the seat next to Harry, smirking at Draco who shifted away from him. Demon's aura was just so damn cold!

"Considering how much I have collected so far, I believe there are at least three more relics to discover, aside from the one he carries with him." Demon explained.

"So that's what you've been keeping secret?" Draco whispered, reaching out to touch the locket. "You're looking for relics of the Dark One? Are they very important? Is this some way of defeating him?"

Primula beamed at him proudly, making Draco's pride purr. "Exactly so dragon, exactly so." She replied. "So you understand why we needed to keep it silent."

Draco nodded. "I won't ask another word about it." He promised. Harry chuckled as he traced the S made of emeralds on the silver surface.

"You are so whipped." Harry declared, making Draco and the others frown thoughtfully. "It's a Muggle saying." He said with a smirk. "Is this a Founder's item as well?" Harry switched the subject before Draco could demand a clarification of the meaning.

Demon nodded, grinning as he reached over to ruffle Harry's hair. "Such a smart little savior." He teased making Harry stick his tongue out at him. "It belonged to the one called Slytherin."

Draco choked on his butterbeer as he snatched the locket from Harry's hands. "Salazar Slytherin's? This was his?"

Demon smirked. "Yes. I am certain your Potions Master will get a kick out of seeing it himself."

They were soon joined by Hermione, Luna Lovegood, and a woman the Gryffindors introduced as Rita Skeeter. Harry explained why Rita Skeeter was there and then began his tale about the night he witnessed Voldemort's return.

As they walked back to Hogwarts that evening, Primula hung back a little with the Demon. "Are you planning on keeping him, Demon?" She asked with all the steely strength she could muster.

"Perhaps." Demon replied, his tanzanite eyes not leaving Harry's form. "Would that be wrong of me?"

"So long as he wishes you to remain with him, I suppose not. But the Lightning One is naive, so do not take advantage of that innocence."

Demon bowed low to the Priestess, who rolled her eyes. "Now how could you even think I would do such a thing?"

Primula shook her head and moved forward to twine her fingers with Draco's. Draco flashed her a smile before returning to a conversation about Quidditch with Harry.

Three more soul fragments left, then they could finish the Dark One once and for all. She prayed to every deity she knew that Demon could discover the rest of them soon and free them all from the shadow of that vile human.

* * *

**_And end! How'd you like? _**


	15. Remaking Fates

**~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

**Long time no see, yeah? **

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Remaking Fates**

**DM**

"There was another fragment within a book." Demon said as he strolled into Primula's tent without even a warning. Primula rolled her eyes as Aviyam and Zinnia whirled around to glare at the Demon, who once more looked like Harry. It took them a second to realize this was not the Lightning One while Primula continued pulling on her new dress.

"A fragment within a book?" Primula asked as Zinnia came up beside her and began to pin the oversized dress to better fit her. Zinnia knew all the proper spells for magically fixing and creating clothes but she preferred the hands on approach.

"Yes. It is in the Wise One's study." Demon replied, perching on a stool and watching the Priestess with glittering tanzanite eyes. "The fragment within it was destroyed however. I asked the portraits how it happened and they told me an interesting story." Demon waited until Primula was eyeing him impatiently. "The fragment was destroyed by the Lightning One in his second year as a student. He used a basilisk fang."

Primula gasped softly, her eyes widening. "The diary." She whispered, recalling the tale of the basilisk and the littlest Weasley. Harry had fought the giant serpent and defeated it with Gryffindor's sword.

"Exactly." Demon chuckled. "He did not know what it was of course. Neither did the Wise One."

Primula gave a nod before shaking her head. "That still leaves several fragments to capture."

"Indeed. However I have enough fragments to be able to detect even the faintest trace." Demon grinned, showing off his fangs. "Meaning I will have them in due time. I just felt you would like a report."

"Yes. Well, it is good to know you'll be able to find the last fragments without trouble." Primula murmured, rubbing at her chest as she felt a small stab of pain. Demon narrowed his eyes before blinking away the sudden, suspicious look that had entered his eyes.

"I will leave you then. Take care Priestess." Demon walked out of the tent and Primula gave a soft snort.

"Why does the Demon wear the Lightning One's face?" Aviyam asked once they were alone again.

"Because he likes Harry. I think the Demon will become the Lightning's protector once this is all over." Primula replied with a laugh.

* * *

Primula leaned against the wall, staring at nothing as she took deep breaths to dispel the sudden rush of pain in her chest. Things had been looking so well lately, she'd forgotten the restriction on her magic. Which was pretty stupid in hindsight but she couldn't do anything about it now except hope the pain passed.

It didn't and Primula quietly cursed her fate. It had been a small spell. One of the second years had forgotten about the vanishing step and had tripped. Their ankle had twisted and Primula had seen no harm at all in healing the child's injury. She had been specializing in healing spells since she was made Priestess of the Iamar.

Of course, _now_ she recalled the harm. Her body felt on fire. She slid down against the wall and clutched at her chest tighter.

"Priestess." Basilisk had appeared now. Primula looked into his eye and then passed out. Basilisk wasted no time in reaching out to contact Dragon, knowing it would alert Draco.

Draco arrived with Aviyam, Zinnia, and Severus at his heels. They found Primula on the floor, sweating and shivering, her eyes flickering open and shut rapidly.

"Her core is breaking." Basilisk informed them even as Aviyam and Zinnia cast scans on her and Severus conjured a stretcher, levitating Primula onto it. "She preformed a healing art on a child."

"Stupid Rimu!" Draco scolded the girl as they began walking to the infirmary. "Why would you do that!"

"She is a priestess, Draco." Aviyam's eyes hadn't left Primula since they'd arrived. "All priestesses are taught that their first and foremost duty is to heal the wounded, the sick, or at least ease their suffering. She would not have thought twice about it, especially if it was an injured child.

Draco knew Aviyam was right. Primula wouldn't be able to help herself. Still...

Pomfrey jumped right into motion the second they entered the hospital wing. In no time the mediwitch had Primula laying calm and peacefully on a bed.

"I cannot find any medical reason for this." Pomfrey replied at last, eyeing them all like she knew they knew what had caused Primula to pass out. "But she is now in a coma."

Gasps rang around the room. Zinnia put a hand to her lips, shaking her head.

"There is nothing I can do." Pomfrey continued, eyeing Primula sadly.

"Thank you, Healer." Aviyam said and Pomfrey inclined her head, letting them have a private moment.

Draco took Primula's hand and shuddered as Dragon appeared at his side. "Dragonet, the Priestess's magical core is close to breaking permenantly."

The words made a moan of despair catch in Draco's throat. "How do we stop it then! Your powers are too unstable to aid her, the Demon is the only one with the power to do anything but he won't until he has all the stupid fragments of the Dark One's soul! And its not like any of you care anyway, you just want to use Rimu to get mortal bodies again!"

Dragon huffed, smoke shooting out of his nostrils.

Draco dug into his pocket and eyed Dragon's carnelian orb with disgust. "I wish I could just hurl all these into some volcano. It would save us all so much trouble and grief. Or at least give them to someone else! I mean, why does Rimu have to be the damned priestess!"

"Because the power to subdue us lies within her blood. Without that power, we would have broken free long ago. It is for this reason that she is our only doorway into mortal forms once more. By passing through her core, we will continue to be tied to her, thus she will retain the power to subdue us, should there ever be a need." Dragon replied in an ancient voice.

"But she's not the only one who can make bargains with you, is she?" Harry's voice made them all jump as he appeared out of a shadowy corner. "There must be something you're willing to trade, in exchange for helping Primula."

Demon appeared then, wearing Harry's face, which disconcerted the adults in the room. Harry just turned to him, his face dead set. "You want Voldemort's soul fragments to help Primula. I'm the key to getting them quicker. Bargain with me."

"Potter, there's a reason they call that Eye, The Demon." Draco warned, knowing Primula might gut him if he didn't warn the idiotic Gryffindor with his hero-complex.

Harry nodded before Draco could say more. "I know what I'm doing, Malfoy, but thanks." Harry caught the tanzanite eyes his double wore. "What do you need from me? Name it."

Demon stared at the holder of his Eye. "You will become an Iamar." Demon declared then. Everyone stared at the Demon in shock, including Harry.

"That cannot be so." Dumbledore's voice had them turning to find the old wizard standing there with a grave look on his face.

"Why not?" Harry argued, turning fully so he was facing his mentor. The Headmaster who had not told him about Voldemort's soul embedded in his scar. Just remembering that Dumbledore had known made him scowl fiercely.

"Harry, your life lies here, in the Outsider world." Dumbledore gave a grandfatherly smile. "To become a gypsy is to weaken the ties with the Outsider world. Your world, the world of your family, Harry."

Harry stared at the old man for several seconds, before shaking his head. "I can always visit my family, headmaster. Distance wouldn't change what they mean to me, or what I mean to them." Harry murmured. "They'd understand why I did what I did."

Dumbledore shook his head. "I cannot allow you to be coerced into this decision, Harry."

"It's not your choice." Demon snapped, flashing his fangs at the elderly wizard. "It is Harry's." Demon suddenly wrapped around Harry, making the boy blink as the Demon shifted into his serpentine form. "He has his motives, little Lightning One. Remember, that which he kept secret from you."

Harry nodded, his green eyes filling with anger. "Why do you want me to become a gypsy though?" He wondered.

"I have my reasons." Demon said, making Harry shake his head fondly at the being.

"Harry, do not." Dumbledore warned, his eyes flashing. Harry ignored him once more, turning to look at Primula. "Harry."

"You kept secrets from me, headmaster." Harry said. "You weren't going to tell me either, were you? You never tell me anything. Every year I've had to face some danger, all on my own, without any help from you. You let me go down to face Quirrell on my own, and then the Chamber of Secrets, and Sirius and the Dementors, and then the Tournament..." Harry lifted his eyes then, pining Dumbledore in place with a tragic light in his eyes. "Primula's done more for me in these past few months than you've ever done for me in nearly five years!"

"Harry-"

"No!" Harry cut the old wizard off, grasping the Demon's Eye tightly in his hand. "I'll join the Iamar. I'll give up whatever you want. Save Primula so we can get rid of the Dark One forever."

"Harry!" Dumbledore tried to step forward but the Demon's power suddenly flared, pushing everyone standing back several feet. Harry stood in the middle of a whirlwind of energy, which was emanating from the Eye in his hand.

Red energy seeped from Draco's pocket as the Dragon lent the Demon his power. Aqua, ebony, and gold light joined the whirlwind as well, mixing and melding in a dazzling display. The light turned blinding white as Harry fell to the stone floor, a faint smile on his face as the white light rose up, only to crash down and be absorbed by the unconscious girl.

A faint wisp of the white power remained. It floated in the air before striking down, hitting Harry in his faded scar.

There was silence for the longest time before Draco noted that the Dragon Eye was pulsing. The five gem orbs escaped their confines, hovering over Primula before one by one, they broke apart into hundreds of shards. The shards began to disappear, one by one, until only five tiny slivers remained. The slivers of carnelian, onyx, tanzanite, amber, and aquamarine moved. The carnelian and onyx fragments dropped into her left hand, sinking into her flesh. The amber and aquamarine slivers sunk into her right hand. And the tanzanite sliver dropped down until it sunk into her chest.

There was a single pulse of energy then, before Primula suddenly lurched into a sitting position. Coughing and gasping, she clutched at her chest, her eyes flashing the colors of the Eyes before they settled into her natural blue. Harry groaned as he regained consciousness, one hand rising to his scarred forehead.

"Rimu!" Draco hurried forward along with Aviyam and Zinnia. As her brother and aunt hugged her, Draco helped Harry to his feet. He gasped when he caught sight of Harry's scar.

"What is it?" Harry demanded to know.

"Your scar." Draco choked out. Harry reached up to pat it.

"What?" He whispered when he felt nothing but smooth skin.

"It is no more." The wizards and witches whirled around to see a young man who looked like a mix of Zafiro and Harry standing at the other end of the hall, his tanzanite eyes glittering as he studied his hands and touched his face.

Harry hurried to find the two-way mirror Sirius had given him, to see for himself. The mirror showed his familiar face with one exception. The lightning bolt scar had changed. It wasn't a scar anymore. It was more like a tattoo, a white mark against his tanned skin.

"What happened to the other Eyes?" Draco wondered then, looking over at Primula who was being checked over by a stunned Pomfrey.

"They are here." Primula held up her hands. Her index and ring fingers on both hands emanated faint glows. "The shards of their Eyes will forever remain inside me, but the power to subdue the Eyes will continue to pass on through my blood." She added, smiling as Aviyam pulled her into another tight grasp. "Their spirits will wait inside me until they have found suitable forms to take as their own."

"And your core?" Draco didn't dare to breathe as Primula closed her eyes.

"It is whole once more. I will need to allow a few days to heal before I can begin to use magic with any frequency though. Otherwise, I am well." Primula opened her eyes and grinned widely as Draco grasped her had in an almost too-tight grip.

The Demon's chuckling had them all looking up at the deadly beautiful male, who was now standing beside Harry, one clawed hand rising to ruffle Harry's hair. Harry smiled at little, a bit surprised that the Demon's hand wasn't cold like he'd been expecting.

"Your plans are broken now, Old One." Demon smirked. "What will you do now that your weapon is no longer under your control?"

Everyone turned to look at Dumbledore, who was glaring at the Demon.

"What're you on about?" Harry asked, confused all of a sudden. Dumbledore dropped the glare, smiling benignly at Harry. Harry didn't trust it.

"I must attend to some business. I will speak with you later, my dear boy." With that the old wizard left the infirmary, the Demon and Primula glaring at his back.

"What do you know, Demon?" Primula wondered, looking into tanzanite eyes as the Demon rested a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Now is not the time, nor is this the place to speak of such things." Demon replied. "I have some business to attend to." He added, sounding wickedly chipper as he gave Harry's head a final pat. Primula's empty hand snapped up all of a sudden. A glowing blue-violet chain appeared around the Demon's neck, leading back to Primula's hand.

"Don't make me regret freeing you Demon, or I will discover the ancient spell and create a new Eye for you." Primula warned, the chain sparking. Demon gave a frivolous bow in reply. Primula released him and the Demon became dense smoke, which then burst out the nearest window.

"I'm so lost." Harry was the first one to speak. Primula and the others nodded in agreement. The little Priestess of the Iamar turned to Harry then, a big grin on her face. Holding out her hands, she waited until Harry was nudged by Draco into grasping them.

"Lightning One, it seems magic has chosen you to join our world." Primula's smile faded as she grew serious, her fingers tightening around Harry's. "If you declare yourself an Iamar, Harry Potter, you will have to be willing to aid us in whatever endeavors we require your assistence. You will belong not to a society but to magic itself. You will belong to the world itself, to the sea, to the wind, to the earth. To the elements and the stars. To the sun and the moon. For magic infuses them all."

"Though you will become tied to us, you will also gain a wider access to all the facets of magic. I will teach you as my mother taught me, as my grandmother taught my father, as my ancestors taught their descendants for centuries. Your ties to this world will indeed weaken, but only in insignificant aspects. For it is your soul that binds you to those who you claim as special. Do you wish to bind yourself to my world, little Outsider? There are other ways to fulfill the Demon's request without literally becoming a gypsy of our clan."

Harry thought about it for nearly five minutes, in which no one said a word but allowed Harry to think. At last Harry nodded, a smile on his face.

"I want to see magic the way you do." Harry murmured. "I want a world where I don't have to be the hero, where I can be just Harry if that's what I want. Can I do that in your world?"

Primula nodded in return. Harry gave another nod and a flash of light passed between them, darkening Harry's new crescent mark from white to gold. Primula smiled for a long moment before sighing and laying back down. "Good. I'm tired now. I think I will rest."

Aviyam strode forward to pick her up, smiling as she snuggled into him. "We will be down with the caravan if we are needed. Draco, take care of our newest member."

Draco nodded, smirking as he imagined the reactions of Potter's friends. "Come along Potter, we have some things to discuss about being an Iamar. First though, you'll need a change of clothes."

Harry followed after Draco in a daze.

* * *

Demon swallowed the fragment of the Dark One's soul from the cup he'd found deep in the underground bank of the wizards. Only three fragments left: the snake, the ring, and the Dark One himself. Each fragment Demon had devoured had strengthened his own power. He was going to rule over the demons of this land once more.

Even bound to a little mortal priestess who he would outlive by eons, he was happy to be free of the damnable Eye.

Sitting atop a lamp post, blue-violet eyes fixed upward, he grinned viciously at the sky. The Outsider world was going to change after the defeat of the Dark One. He could feel it. Just as the Old One could sense it. Dumbledore was afraid of the change he could feel. The change that Demon had exacerbated by turning the hero of the wizarding world, their little Savior, into an Iamar gypsy.

Demon had his reasons for doing so. And though he would deny it for all eternity, he had grown fond of the little human child who Fate had marked with a lightning scar and a destiny so harsh for one so small.

Demon liked screwing Fate over too. He was a demon after all.

The depths of Dumbledore's designs was still unknown to both Harry and Priestess Primula. Demon wondered if he should tell them of it. He decided he wouldn't unless it became necessary.

The sky was blood-red and the air charged with some power even the Demon could not properly name. Demon wondered when he'd last seen such a madder red sky. This sky that foretold of the danger and the changes on the horizon.

He leaped up onto the rooftop of a nearby shop, moving gracefully over the rooftops until he was well on the edges of London. He needed to discover the resting place of the ring. The memories in the fragments of dark soul he'd devoured told him where it lay. Now he just needed to discover the actual location of that town called Little Hangleton.

* * *

Draco sat beside Primula's bed, smiling at the bright yellow and red blanket she was covered with. Aviyam had called to the gypsies. They were set to leave Hogwarts within a fortnight and head to one of the old Iamar sites in northern England.

Once the Dark One was defeated, they could move on with their lives. Draco couldn't wait to see the world that Primula had seen these past four years.

Leaving Primula with a soft brush of his lips against her cheek, he stepped out of the tent and stared up at the sky. Fiery red and turning purple at the far ends, the sky brought to mind a wildfire Draco had witnessed once near his manor. It had destroyed a good portion of land, leaving it charred and desolate. at least, Draco had considered it so until a few months later when he'd seen new life growing among the ashes.

The war was reaching its crescendo, Draco thought to himself. Soon it would all be over and Draco could live his life as he wished.

Looking down a little, his eyes landed on Harry, who was dressed in Iamar clothes and was being told the rules of caravan life by Aviyam and several of the elders.

Potter could live his life too. Away from this world that would just suck him dry if he remained.

Potter would do his duty, defeat the Dark Lord, and then the Iamar would enfold him in their arms, sheltering him from the Outsider world.

"Itol." Draco called the house-elf, who instantly appeared at his side. "I want you to keep an eye on the poppies. When they begin to bloom, tell me."

Itol bowed low. "Yes Master Draco!"

Draco stayed out looking up at the sky until the red had faded into navy blue and Potter approached him, looking surprisingly comfortable in the different clothing.

"Zinnia says dinner's ready and you're not allowed to skip out." Harry said, making Draco smirk as he turned to the cluster of tables and people around a large fire, where dinner was indeed ready and Harry was welcomed with open arms.

* * *

**Finally! Right? Right! Hope you liked!**


	16. Godric's Hollow

**~A Madder Red Sky~**

**J.K. Rowling is the sole creator and owner of the HP universe. I own this plot and the OCs.**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Godric's Hollow**

**DM**

Dumbledore was trying to speak to Harry again. For the last week, Harry had been skipping his classes up at the castle, only going up during mealtimes to visit with the Weasleys. There were mixed feelings throughout the whole castle though, when Harry had shown up the day following his induction to the Iamar and told his friends what had occurred overnight.

Harry wasn't going to ignore Voldemort, no matter what some people thought. He was just going to deal with him in his own way now, with new people around him.

"Harry, my boy, though I grant our gypsy friends are quite powerful-"

"Headmaster, it's not about that." Harry cut in, looking up from the History notes Hermione had sent him. Though he'd told Hermione and Ron he wouldn't be taking classes with them anymore, Hermione had decided to send him copies of her notes whether he liked it or not. It made Harry smile and roll his eyes at the same time. No matter what, Hermione would never let his education suffer if she could help it. "It's about the best way to destroy Voldemort and move on with my life."

"You could do both without going to such drastic measures." Dumbledore argued. Harry shook his head though.

"No I couldn't. If I stayed in the wizarding world after I finished Voldemort off, I'd never get any peace."

Dumbledore gave him a bemused look. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

For a reply, Harry sent a venomous look at _The Daily Prophet_, which had been leaked the story of his joining the Iamar and the reporters were going wild with speculations, most of them disparaging the gypsies and claiming wild things, like how a gypsy revolt was planned and how gypsies wanted to take over wizarding Britain. It made Harry sick.

"I won't change my mind." Harry said when Dumbledore opened his mouth again. "I'm through with this world. With people like them." Harry shot the paper another dark look. "I don't know what more you want from me sir. I'll still fight Voldemort. I'm not backing out of that, though the gypsies promised they would not think less of me if I chose to do so."

Dumbledore sighed, rising from his seat in the tent that Harry and Draco had been given. Draco, who had been sitting silently in the corner, looked up with narrowed eyes. "I see your mind is set. I wish you the best then, my dear boy." The old wizard gave Harry's hand a pat then turned and left, greeting the Warriors who had been standing at the ready, in case the Wise One tried something against Harry.

With a scoff, Draco shook his head at the tent entrance. "He's got something up his sleeve, Potter. Don't go anywhere alone until we're out of his reach."

Harry gave a nod, smiling a little as he thought back to how last year, Draco was wishing him ill in the tournament. This year, the prat was helping him out, was even friendly on occasions. Well, as friendly as two schoolyard rivals could be so recently after declaring a truce.

"How's Primula doing?" Harry asked then. His inquiry earned him a smirk from Draco as the blonde moved to sit across from Harry.

"The Healer says she's perfectly healthy again. Her core's not fractured anymore either. Once we move, she'll be able to go about her Priestess duties."

Harry set aside the History notes, green eyes fixed steadily on Draco. "She's really important to the Iamar, isn't she? Even more than her brother?"

Draco nodded. Potter was more observant than he let on then. "The Princes serve as figureheads for the most part. They take care of all the tedious politics, making sure that we don't upset our allies or make new enemies when we venture beyond our borders. The Priests and Priestesses though, they serve as a connection to magic itself, and are far more important in the greater scheme of things."

"It's like how people can survive longer without food than without water, right?" Harry wondered. Draco blinked at the comparison before nodding with a small snort of amusement.

"Just like that. Politics is the food and magic is the water." Draco looked up at the roof of their tent. "There didn't used to be princes. The spiritual figures used to lead the caravans. But then an Outsider prince joined one of the caravans and that clan felt it would raise their prestige if they claimed a true Prince as their leader. The other clans followed suit, not wanting that clan to feel like they had the power to impose their will on the others. At first the title was given to the strongest Warrior, chosen during a festival as the previous Prince neared the end of his life. Then it turned into a hereditary thing, passing from father to son. Still, while the gypsy clans gave power to these princes, they never forgot that the ones among them closest to magic were the spiritual leaders."

Harry smiled as Draco looked over at him. "What?" Draco demanded to know when seconds passed and Harry continued grinning.

"I like learning about the Iamar from you." Harry admitted. "You sound like you've been one of them for your entire life."

Draco grinned at that, pleased by the comment. "Soon enough, you'll sound like that too." Draco snickered a bit. "Bet you our people will turn you into a Warrior in no time. You are the legendary Lightning One, after all."

"Oh yeah?" Harry rolled his eyes. Draco might be right about that, if the young warriors-in-training didn't stop hounding Harry to join them during their training sessions. "And what'll you be hmm?"

A faint blush appeared on Draco's cheeks as he turned his head snootily to the side. "With Primula being a Priestess, she'll need a shaman at her side to help her with her duties. I've already asked the old shaman to begin training me."

Harry stared at Draco for a while before turning away to hide his laugh. He wasn't laughing because he thought it was a stupid. He was laughing because Draco didn't even hesitate. Draco scowled at Harry, obviously taking it wrong, so Harry hurried to hold up his hand and get his giggles under control.

"I think it's nice, how you're willing to become what Primula needs." Harry explained himself, causing the blush on Draco's face to return with a vengeance.

"She's my Rimu." Draco murmured then. "I don't want her to leave my side ever again. I'll do whatever I need to, to stay with her from now on."

Harry had often heard that teenagers didn't understand love. That they fell in and out of liking but never knew love until they matured. Maybe for most, that was true, but looking at Draco, and knowing what he did about Draco and Primula, he was sure that what Draco felt was love. He might not be ready to say it for a while yet, but Harry was sure that was it.

"I envy you. You have a person who always wants to be by your side." Harry whispered. In the silence of their tent though, Draco heard it clearly and stared in shock at Harry.

"You have lots of friends-" Draco began to remind the boy hero but Harry shook his head. Draco felt understanding flood him suddenly as Harry met his eyes.

Ah. Draco thought he knew now. Harry was searching for _that person_ himself. The one person who would face whatever came at them and not leave his side. Friends were great, but they weren't that one person. Draco understood that feeling best when Primula was at his side.

Smirking once more, Draco stood up and gave Harry's hair a rough tousle, making the younger boy yelp at the friendly attack. "You're full of luck Potter, you'll find that person soon enough." Clearing his throat after catching sight of Harry's wide smile, Draco gave the younger boy a push. "Enough of this Hufflepuff nonsense. We have lessons to be getting to."

Harry let Draco push him out of the tent so they could join some of the younger Iamar children as their teacher began a lesson on the elements and planets and how magic was affected by them.

* * *

"The place we are going to is called Godric's Hollow." Primula brought up at dinner.

"Godric's Hollow?" Draco repeated, his gaze falling on Harry. Primula nodded, looking between the two boys, wondering what she'd said to put that look on Draco's face.

Harry took notice of it too. "What?" Harry demanded to know.

Draco hesitated a moment then sighed and explained. "You...lived there. With your parents."

"Oh." Harry couldn't think of any other response. He had wondered where he and his parents had lived when he was a baby but he'd never thought to ask anyone. To find out that he'd be moving back to the place where everything started for him was a bit of a shock.

"That is why we chose the location." Aviyam stated, waiting until Harry had looked up before going on. "As a place of great importance to the Lightning One, it must be visited. You must make your peace with all that happened there, before you can move on."

Harry wasn't sure if he could make peace with anything until Voldemort was dead, but seeing as Aviyam was his prince now, he kept that to himself.

"We have called upon your godfather to join us there." Aviyam added, surprising Harry into gaping. "He has agreed to meet with us."

Sirius. Harry hadn't even thought of what Sirius might think of him joining the Iamar. Would his godfather be upset?

Harry was just about to drop into a bit of a pity party when a new thought came to him. Sirius! He was considered an escaped convict by the wizarding world...but what would the gypsy world think of him? The gypsy world didn't exactly think much of the wizarding world, and Harry was pretty sure they ignored the rules and conventions of the Muggle world as well. So...

"Does it matter that he's considered an escaped convict?" Harry asked, praying the answer was a favorable one.

Aviyam shook his head, a smirk on his face. "While he is a guest of ours, he will be protected by the laws of our people. Primula will ensure this."

Harry turned to the priestess, who was nodding and smiling. "There are ways to protect him. And of course, he is welcome for as long as he wishes. Isn't he, brother?" Primula asked. Aviyam gave a single nod, which brought a wide smile to Harry's face.

"Wicked." He whispered, feeling like something was squeezing his throat shut. Ducking his head to get a grip on himself, Harry couldn't wait to see Sirius. He'd be able to be out in the sunshine with his godfather. They'd be able to live together. At last!

For the rest of the evening, Harry was seen with a joyful smile on his face.

* * *

Godric's Hollow was a small village, a mix of Muggles and Wizards who managed to live together in harmony. Harry was awed by the sight of the war memorial, and deep in his chest he felt an ache as he imagined growing up in this cozy village, among magic and mundane, with his parents.

Dressed in Muggle clothing, Harry wandered the streets, Draco and Primula a few steps behind him, and the Demon at his side, disguised as Harry's twin once more. The Iamar were settling just on the outskirts of the village, casting enchantments to keep the Muggles away and to protect them from the wizards, should they attempt anything.

March had begun. As spring approached, Harry felt the old anxiety rising in him. June seemed to be a bad month for him. Voldemort always seemed to attack in June.

The anxiety was tempered by the fact that this year, so much was different. Harry was being protected by a powerful Demon, had been accepted into a gypsy clan, had gotten rid of the fragment of Voldemort's soul. He'd struck a bargain with the Demon and saved Primula. He'd made his own decisions, at last, and life was looking up. Soon, someday very soon, the final battle would come and then there'd be nothing to do but live his life. Harry could admit to looking forward to that.

Before that though, Harry had to make his peace with the past, as Aviyam had said. Which brought him back to what he was doing in Godric's Hollow.

"Do you know where my house is?" Harry asked, looking over his shoulder at Draco and Primula. Draco nodded, pausing at an intersection to get his bearings. He then turned them down a narrower street. Harry stood at the mouth of the street for a long time, just taking deep breaths as the Demon, Draco, and Primula came to stand at his sides.

They walked slowly, letting Harry set the pace, pausing when Harry paused. His companions remained silent as they journeyed up the street. Harry would look at them every so often. Draco would give him a smirk, Primula an encouraging smile, and the Demon would roll his eyes before giving him a small push.

Harry knew he'd miss Hermione and the Weasleys. But he'd gained the Moon family, Draco, and the Demon as his new friends. And they were going to give him Sirius too. Harry had to smile at that. When had he gotten so lucky?

The houses became a little more spaced and soon they were reaching the last house. Set in a corner, with a low picket fence in front, the charred remains of the Potter home stood before them. Harry stood in front of the fence, eyes wide as he took in every detail from the outside.

"This is where they died." Harry whispered more to himself than to his companions. "Where I almost died too."

A soft wuff had Harry turning to see a familiar bear-like dog standing a few steps behind him. Harry wasn't sure why but suddenly his throat closed up and he choked back a cry. He whirled around and dropped onto the street, his arms circling Sirius' neck. Harry was probably choking the Animagus, but if Sirius were in discomfort, he made no move to escape the suddenly emotional teenager. Instead he shifted back into his human form and wrapped his arms around his godson.

Primula watched them, her own eyes stinging. She looked back at the house, her mind going to where she'd seen her own mother die.

Harry got a hold of himself and stood up after a minute. Sirius stood beside him, one arm around his shoulders, a hand squeezing comfortingly. Draco noticed that Sirius' own eyes held a vast well of sadness mingled with regrets.

For a moment, Draco had to wonder what this was like for Sirius, whose life had also been irrevocably changed on that Halloween night, when he'd let grief and revenge cloud his heart and mind, instead of focusing on what he should have focused on. The little year-old babe who had needed him at the time. And Draco had to wonder if Harry, knowing that, held even the smallest fragment of resentment towards his godfather for the abandonment. Draco would have, surely.

But Draco was not Harry, and Harry was not the boy Draco had thought he was. Harry probably hadn't even given a single thought to being resentful of Sirius' choices that night.

Staring over at the house again, his hand finding Primula's, Draco felt a lump forming in his own throat. Which was stupid, he knew, since the Potters were nothing but a story to him. Nothing but photographs in old books, nothing but words and the parents of the boy standing next to him, with green eyes and wild hair, with a destiny to save an entire world from the Dark Lord. They were nothing to Draco...still, he felt like he ought to be thanking them or some such stupid thing.

Harry reached out touch the gate, wanting to feel something tangible about this place that had long ago been his home. A sign appeared from the overgrown grass, startling them. Harry's eyes widened as he read it, a small smile appearing on his face as he looked at the neatly written words surrounded by old, faded graffiti.

"What idiots! Defacing a monument." Draco huffed, though he sounded almost as awed as Harry looked. Sirius gave a sharp bark of laughter as he read some of the messages, recognizing a few of the names as well.

"It's all right." Harry replied, a small laugh bubbling out of him. "It's brilliant." He added, leaning over the gate a bit to try and make out more of the graffiti.

Draco looked like he wanted to argue, but Harry's obvious joy kept him silent.

Primula stepped forward then, placing a hand over Harry's, the other moving to the gate's latch. She looked over at Harry, who looked indecisive, before giving her a shrug. Primula smiled, flipping up the latch, and pushing the rusted gate open.

The gypsy Priestess walked through the grass, her hands out to touch the grass and weeds until she reached the sign. With a small smile she pulled out a ribbon from her hair and settled it around the sign's post. Then she moved until she was standing in front of the cottage, her eyes on the right half of the top, which was were most of the damage was concentrated.

"When Avi said you must make your peace, he only meant you must face it." Primula explained, turning to look at Harry who still stood in front of the open gate. "Our sorrows and regrets keep us down, impede us from continuing onward. Yes, we can mourn what was taken from us, but we must also continue on. Step by step. Mourn Harry Potter, but continue to live. It is what your mother willed, when she sacrificed herself for you. When the Dark One is no more, you will have your revenge, and you will grant peace to an entire world."

Harry stared at Primula for a second then slowly began to walk towards her. He paused by the sign to smile at the graffiti once more, gaining strength from the encouraging messages, before finally he was standing beside Primula, his eyes fixed on his old home.

"I wish they hadn't died. I wish I had them with me still. Or that we'd at least had more time together." Harry murmured to Primula.

"I know Harry." Primula said, reminding Harry that she too had lost her own parents early on.

They stood there for a long time, two orphans in front of a reminder of a life long since passed. If Harry cried a bit, Primula was kind enough to not draw attention to him. Instead she murmured something in the gypsy tongue and blew out a breath. A soft pink light appeared, hitting the front door and slowly moving up the ivy and moss covered outer walls, over the damaged roof, over the grass and the sign behind them. The spell stopped at the fence, where it then sunk into the wood, disappearing with a soft sigh.

Harry was then gripped with a warmth in his crescent mark. He put a hand over them and closed his suddenly heavy eyelids. When he opened them again, he saw what the house had once looked like, complete, whole, untouched by evil magic. His eyes widened as he saw James standing on the lawn, with a baby Harry on a toy broomstick, and a radiant Lily standing watch, laughter and wariness combined in her gaze as she watched little Harry skim over the grass, squeals of happiness coming from him.

_"That's it Harry!" James praised, laughing along with his son. "You'll be a pro in no time!"_

_"Come to Mummy!" Lily called then, kneeling in the grass and holding out her arms. "Come to Mummy Harry!"_

_Baby Harry turned to his mother with a wide smile, hands leaving the broom to stretch out towards her. He lost his balance and toppled onto the grass, startling both his parents. Lily and James hurried to him, fussing worriedly until Harry began to giggle and squeal under his parents' attention. The worry changed into smiles and laughter again as Lily hugged Harry to her chest, with James' arms coming to circle them._

_"Love, try not to give Mummy another heart attack hmm?" Lily asked of her son, who cooed and mimicked some of the sounds she'd made. "Yes, Mummy loves you very much!" Lily said then, dropping a kiss on Harry's cheek._

_"So does Daddy." James promised, ruffling Harry's messy hair. "Lots more than Mummy." James added in a teasing voice that made Lily smack him with the back of one hand._

_"Daddy's delusional." Lily teased right back, making Harry grin at her. "Oh, but we do love you so very much." Lily promised Harry, kissing him again. "Never doubt that."_

Harry blinked, and when he could see again he was staring at the ruined remains of his first home. He turned to find Primula was kneeling in the grass, looking a little out of breath but very satisfied.

"I just called forth a memory of the land." Primula explained as Harry helped her back to her feet. "Was it a very nice one?" She wondered then, noticing that Harry looked ready to cry again.

"Yeah. It was a great one." Harry promised, looking over to where he'd just seen his younger self with his parents. "It was the best." Harry added.

They turned away from the house, heading back past the sign, beyond the gate, and were walking down the street before they knew it. Harry didn't look back, his mind still on the memory Primula had dredged up for him.

He'd always known his parents had loved him. They'd loved him enough to die for him. But now he had a memory of them actually saying so. A tangible recollection of the words being spoken.

"Harry?" Sirius asked, looking down at his godson with worry. Harry grinned as Sirius put a hand on his head.

"I'm okay." Harry replied. He was sure he'd probably need a few more days to get over all the feelings this little trip had brought up, but really he was fine. He even had a new memory, a good one, about his old life.

"Have we finished with this sappy custom now?" Demon asked, turning to pin a glare on Primula. Draco glared at him as well, but Primula just nodded, looking over at Harry.

"Yes. Harry has made his peace. We can move on to the future now with no regrets."

Demon turned to the wizard, frowning as Harry looked over at them with a smile on his face. The sadness was still there, as it had always been. Now however there was more joy to counteract it. Harry looked as if a weight was lifted from him. Demon could sense the changes already taking place within the wizard.

Demon still thought it was a sappy custom but he said no more on it. Instead he flicked a hand out behind him, casting a spell of protection over the old ruins. Now nothing would disturb them, or the memories that land contained.

* * *

**_Sappy chapter...which I blame entirely on the music from Howl's Moving Castle. It put me in a mood. Still, I hope you enjoyed this. And yes, I made Harry awfully sappy, but come on, in this story he's fifteen, a kid still. I figure given everything he's gone through, him being a bit sappy at seeing his old home is okay. :)_**


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